VICTORIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
This book is purchased from
The Schofield Fund
given in memory of
William Henry Schofield
Victoria College, B.A. 1889
Harvard University, Ph. D. 1895
Professor of Comparative Literature
Harvard University, 1906-20.
Harvard Exchange P rofessor at
University of Berlin, 1907
Lecturer at the Sorbonne and
University of Copenhagen, 1910.
Harvard Exchange Professor at
Western Colleges, 1918.
illim
arlg nglis
^rrits. |to. 1.
1867.
'
' '' V
BERLIN: ASHER & CO., 13, UNTER DEN LINDEN.
NEW YORE-: C. SCRIBNER & CO.: LEYPOLDT & HOLT.
PHILADELPHIA : J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
THE ROMANCE OF
tltiara 0f Jalem:
(OTHERWISE KNOWN AS
THE ROMANCE OF "WILLIAM AND THE WERWOLF")
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH AT THE COMMAND OF
SIR HUMPHREY DE BOHUN, ABOUT A.D. 1350;
TO WHICH 18 ADDED A FRAGMENT
OF THE ALLITERATIVE ROMANCE OP
TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN BY THE SAME AUTHOR,
ABOUT A.D. 1340 ;
THE FORMER RE-EDITED FROM THE UNIQUE MS. IN THE LIBRARY OF KING'S
COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE ;
THE LATTER NOW FIRST EDITED FROM THE UNIQUE MS. IN THE
BODLEIAN LIBRARY, OXFORD;
BY THE
REV. WALTER W. SKEAT, M.A.,
LATl FELLOW OP CHEIST'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE ; AUTHOR OF " A M<ESO-GOTHIC GLO8SART,"
EDITOR OF "PIERS PLOWMAN," ETC.
LONDON :
PUBLISHED FOR THE EARLY ENGLISH TEXT SOCIETY
BY KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & Co,
PATERNOSTER HOUSE, CHARING-CROSS ROAD, W.C.
MDCCCLXVII.
[Reprinted 1890, 1898.}
PR
1119
Es
no. i
ZZ-l-31
CLAT & SONS, LIMITED, LONDON <t BUNOAT.
CONTENTS.
PREFACE.
INTRODUCTION TO "WILLIAM OP PALERNE:"
1. The " Extra Series " of the E. E. T. S. 2.
"William and the Werwolf;" edition of 1832. 3.
Missing portions supplied from the French. 4. The
story. 5. Description of the MS. ... ... i
Preface to the edition of 1832 by Sir F. Madden. (Ke-
printed.) ... ... ... ... ... vii
Note on the word " Werwolf ; " by Sir F. Madden ... xxv
INTRODUCTION TO " ALISAUNDER : "
1. Alliterative Eomances of Alexander. 2. The
Alisaunder in MS. Greaves 60, by the author of William
of Palerne. 3. Description of MS. Greaves 60. 4.
The Story. 5. Its origin. 6. On the dialect of the
poems. 7. On the distinction between " thou " and
"ye." ... ... ... ... ... xxix
WILLIAM OP PALERNE ... ... ... 1
THE GESTES OP THE WORTHIE KING AND EMPEROUR, ALI-
SAUNDER OP MACEDOINE . . ... ... 177
Notes to " WiUiam of Palerne " ... ... ... 219
Notes to " Alisaunder " ... ... ... ... 236
Glossarial Index ... ... ... ... 250
Index of Names ... ... 324
PREFACE.
INTRODUCTION TO " WILLIAM OF PALERNE."
1. THE "Extra Series" of the publications of the Early English
Text Society, of which this is the first volume, is intended to he sup-
plementary to the ordinary series in such a way as to expedite the
printing of the whole quantity of work to he printed. It has been
proposed that it shall "be reserved entirely for reprints and re-editions,
and this rule will in general he adhered to. At the same time, a
little laxity of definition must be allowed as to what constitutes a
reprint. Thus, the editions of " Piers Plowman " (Text A) and of
" Pierce the Ploughmans Crede," being entirely new, and from
entirely new sources, have been issued with the ordinary Series,
though both have been edited before more than once ; whilst, on the
other hand, more than a thousand lines, never before printed, have
purposely been included in the present volume, as belonging to the
same date, and as having been written by the same author as the rest.
2. Of the two poems here printed, it is the former that has been
edited before, in a volume of which the title is "The Ancient English
Romance of WILLIAM AND THE WERWOLF ; edited from an unique copy
in King's College Library, Cambridge; with an introduction and
glossary. By Frederick Madden, Esq., F.RS., F.S.A., M.R.S.L.,
Assistant-Keeper of the MSS. in the British Museum. London :
printed by William Nicol, Shakspeare-Press. MDCCCXXXII." It forms
one of the "Roxburghe Club" series, and only a limited number
of copies were printed.
li INTRODUCTION TO " WILLIAM OF PALERNE.
The thorough excellence of both the text and glossary of this
edition is known to all who have had the opportunity of access to it,
and it has always ranked as a contribution of great importance to our
knowledge of Early English literature. Sir F. Madden justly claims
to have been one of the first editors who insisted on the necessity of
strict and literal accuracy, and it is impossible to say how much we
owe to him, directly and indirectly. Ilis edition is, in fact, almost a
facsimile of the MS., being printed in black-letter, and with all the
contractions of the original, a table of these being added to explain
them to the reader. A copy of it having been provided for my use,
it was sent to the printer, after I had expanded all the contractions
by the use of italic letters, numbered the lines, inserted marks of
punctuation, and added side-notes. Had the proof-sheets been cor-
rected by this only, the volume would have contained no error of im-
portance ; but I judged it to be due to Sir F. Madden and to sub-
scribers to make it absolutely correct (as I hope it now is, in the
text at least,) by reading the proof-sheets with the MS. itself, to
which I had ready access through the kindness of Mr Bradshaw,
Fellow of King's College, and our University Librarian. 1 I have also
added a few words within square brackets where there are obvious
omissions ; they are chiefly taken from Sir F. Madden's notes. As
his glossary contained references to the pages, and our object is to
have references to the lines of the poem, I have re-written it entirely,
incorporating with it the more difficult words in the fragment of
" Alisaunder." For the sidenotes, most of the notes at the end, and
indeed for the whole volume in its present state, I am altogether re-
sponsible ; but I consider it as no little gain that Sir F. Madden,
with very great kindness, has looked over the re vises of the whole work,
and I am much indebted to him for his suggestions. The glossary is,
of course, copied from his almost wholly ; but to some illustrative
notes that are left entirely in- his own words I have drawn special
attention by attaching to them the letter " M." He has also per-
May not some of the alleged difficulty of the study of Old English be fairly
attributed to the shameful inaccuracy of some of the texts ? The portion of
" William and the Werwolf" printed by Hartshorne is, in places, simply inex-
plicable.
INTRODUCTION TO "WILLIAM OF PALERXE. ill
mitted the reprinting of his preface to the former edition, and of his
note on the word " Werwolf " (with fresh additions).
3. We are also under great obligations to M. Michelant, of the
Bibliotheque Imperiale at Paris. To him we owe the transcript of a con-
siderable portion of the beginning of the French version of the poem,
enabling me to supply the missing portions of the English version at
pp. 1 6 and 19 23, and further to compare the French with the
English throughout the first 500 lines ; some of the results of which
comparison will be found in the " Notes." He even did more ; for
he secured for us the accuracy of the portions printed by comparing
the proof-sheets with the MS. Bibl. de L' Arsenal, Belles Lettres, 178,
from which his transcript was made.
4. THE STORY.
Most of the details of the story can be gathered from the " Index
of Names " at the end of the volume, and from the head-lines and
side-notes, but a brief sketch of it may be acceptable.
Embrons, King of Apulia, by his wife Felice, daughter of the Em-
peror of Greece, had a fair son named William. The brother of Embrons,
wishing to be heir to the throne, bribed two ladies, Gloriande and
Acelone, to murder the child. But at this very time, as the child was
at play (at Palermo), a wild wolf caught him up, ran off with him, swam
the Straits of Messina, and carried him away to a forest near Rome, not
injuring, but taking great care of him. But while the wolf went to get
some food for him, the child was found by a cowherd, who took him
home and adopted him. (Now you must know that the wolf was not a
true wolf, but a werwolf or man-wolf / he had once been Alphouns, eldest
son of the King of Spain, and heir to the crown of Spain. His step-
mother Braunde, wishing her son Braundinis to be the heir, enchanted
him so that he became a werwolf.) One day the Emperor of Rome,
going out a-hunting, lost his way, and met with the boy William, with
whom he was much pleased, and took the child from the cowherd behind
him on his horse to Rome, and committed him to the care of his own
daughter Melior, to be her page. William, growing up beloved by
everybody, attracted, as might have been expected, the love of Melior in
particular ; who, in a long but amusing soliloquy, concludes that, though
she is degrading herself to think upon a foundling, she finds it harder
still not to think of him, and seeks the advice of her dear friend Ali-
saundrine, a daughter of the Duke of Lombardy. This young damsel
bids her be at ease, and, having some slight knowledge of witchcraft,
causes William to dream of Melior, and to fall in love with her hope-
IV INTRODUCTION TO " WILLIAM OF TALERNE.
lessly. All his consolation is to sit in Melior's garden, and he considers
himself sufficiently fed by gazing at her window the whole day. Worn
out by this, he falls asleep there, and is found by the two ladies, and, by
Alisaundrine's devices, the young couple are soon betrothed ; but it has
to be kept a great secret, lest the emperor should come to hear of it.
About this time the emperor's lands are invaded by the Duke of Saxony.
William, knighted for the occasion, is, by his prowess, the chief instru-
ment of the invader's defeat ; a defeat which the duke takes so much to
heart that he shortly dies of grief. The emperor thanks and praises
William greatly, very much to his daughter's delight. But the next
circumstance is untoward enough. The Emperor of Greece (who be
it remembered, is William's grandfather) sends an embassy, headed by
Lord Koachas, to ask the hand of Melior for his son Partenedon. The
emperor at once accepts the proposal, and the Emperor of Greece and
Prince Partenedon set out for Rome. William falls ill at the news, but is
soon recovered by the expressions of devoted constancy which he re-
ceives from Melior. The Greeks arrive at Rome, and great preparations
are made ; what is to be done ? Melior and William consult their un-
failing friend Alisaundrine, who, not knowing what eke to do, steals the
skins of two white bears from the royal kitchen, sews her friends up in
them, and lets them out by a postern-gate from Melior's garden, and
bids them a sad farewell. But they had been observed ; for a Greek,
walking in this garden, had seen, to his great astonishment, two bears
walking off on their hind legs, and tells his companions of his adventure,
for which he is well laughed at, nothing more being thought of it at the
time. The lovers hurry away till they find a den, wherein they conceal
themselves, but fear to die of hunger. In this strait the werwolf finds
them, and brings them sodden beef and two flasks of wine, having
robbed two men whom he met carrying them. Meanwhile, great are the
preparations for the wedding, which is to take place at St Peter's church.
But at the last moment, where is the bride? The Emperor of Rome,
frantic with rage, questions Alisaundrine, who evades his questions, but
at last avows her conviction that, if William cannot be found, neither will
Melior. William is indeed missing, and the Greek's story about the two
white bears is at once understood, and a hue and cry is raised after them.
They are not found, and the Greeks return to their own country. The
lovers, still disguised as bears, and guided and fed by the werwolf, flee to
Benevento, where they are nearly caught, but escape by the werwolf s help.
Finding their disguise is known, they dress up as a hart and hind, and at
last, after a strange adventure at Reggio, cross the Straits of Messina to
Palermo, the werwolf still guiding them. Palermo is in a state of siege.
King Embrons is dead, and Felice is queen, but is hard pressed by the
Spaniards, as the King of Spain has asked the hand of her daughter Florence
(William's sister) for his son Braundinis, and, on her refusal, has come
to enforce his claim. Queen Felice has a dream of happy omen, and,
perceiving the hart and hind, dresses herself also in a hind's skin, and
goes to meet them, welcoming them and offering them protection, if
INTRODUCTION TO
William will deliver her from the Spaniards. Rejoiced at this, William,
on Ernbrons' horse, and with a werwolf painted on his shield, performs
marvels, and takes both the King and Prince of Spain prisoners, never to
be released till the wicked Queen Braunde shall disenchant the werwolf.
She is sent for, and arrives, and reverses the charm, restoring Alphouns
to his right shape, for which she is pardoned ; and the Prince Alphouns
receives great praises for his kindness to William, it being now seen
that he did but steal him away to save his life from the plots of King
Embrous' brother. By way of further reward, he is to marry Florence,
and William is, of course, to marry Melior. William sends a message
to this effect to Melior's father, who, for joy to hear that she is alive,
promises to come to the wedding, and to bring Alisaundrine with him.
At the same time the Emperor of Greece, Queen Felice's father, sends
Partenedon his son to Palermo to help the queen against the Spaniards ;
but the prince is not a little chagrined at finding that he has come to see
Melior, whom he once wooed, and whom he lost at the last moment,
married to the husband of her own choice. Seeing no help for it, however,
he submits as well as he can. But there is another disappointed suitor,
Prince Bratmdinis ; can nothing be done for him ? It is at once arranged
that he can marry Alisaundrine, and the triple wedding of William
and Melior, Alphouns and Florence, Braundinis and Alisaundrine, is
celebrated in one day ; after which, Partenedon returns to Greece, and
the Spaniards return to Spain. The Emperor of Rome dying, William
is elected to succeed him as emperor, and is crowned at Rome ; and
Alphouns, his steadfast friend, who has become King of Spain on his
father's death, is present at the joyful ceremony. And thus the Queen of
Palermo lived to see her dream come true, that her right arm reached
over Rome and her left arm lay over Spain ; for her son was the
emperor of the former country, and her daughter queen of the latter ;
nor was the kind cowherd forgotten, for his adopted son gave him an
earldom, and brought him out of his care and poverty.
It ought to be remarked that the curious fancies about the enchant-
ment of Alphouns into a werwolf, and the dressing up of William and
Melior, firstly in the skins of two white bears and afterwards in the
skins of a hart and a hind, as also the wearing of a hind's skin by
the Queen of Palermo, form the true groundwork of the story, and no
doubt, at the time, attracted most attention. To a modern reader
this part of the narrative becomes tedious, and one wonders why the
disguises were kept on so long. But as a whole, the story is well
told, and the translator must have been a man of much poetic power,
as he has considerably improved upon his original. For further re-
marks upon him, see Sir F. Madden's preface, and the "Intro-
duction to Alisaunder."
Vi INTRODUCTION TO " WILLIAM OF PALERXE.
5. DESCRIPTION OF THE M:S.
In addition to Sir F. Madden's remarks, I may observe that the
size of the pages of the volume is about 12 inches by 8, and the class-
mark is No. 13. The folios have been renumbered, it being ascertained
that the missing leaves are the first three and the tenth. Thus fol. 1
of the former edition is now called fol. 4, and fol. 7 is now fol. 1 1 .
With this slight change, the numbering of the folios in the margin
furnishes a ready way of comparing the two editions. 1
The volume consists of two MSS. :
I. William of Palerne, here printed ; containing 86 leaves (of
which three are lost) ;
II. An imperfect copy of the Lives of the Saints, &c., attributed
to Robert of Gloucester, and containing
1. A description of bible-subjects for Lent, with the passion of
Christ, &c. : Begins (fol. 1)
" Ssint marie dai in Leinte among of er daies gode "
ends, " Now ihesu for f e swete crois fat f ou were on ydo
Bring [vs] to f e blisse of h[e]uene * fat f ou vs bou^test to.
AMEN."
2. Judas. Begins (fol. 32) " Ivdas was a luf er brid fat
solde to fe rode; " ends " fer we wenej) fat he be."
3. Pilate, (fol. 34). " Pilatus was a luf er man and come of
a lufer more ;" ends "fram so deolfol cas."
4. Seint Marie Egiptiak, (fol. 37 b). " SEint Marie Egipciake
in egipte was y-bore ; " ends " f oru penauwce fat heo gan lede."
5. Seint Alphe, (fol. 40 l>). "SEint alphe fe martir fat good
man was ynow ; " ends " to f e blisse of heuene Avende. AMEN"."
6. Seint George, (fol. 43). " Sfiint George f e holi man * as we
findef of him y-write ;" ends "lete vs alle fider wende. AMEN."
7. Seint Dunston, (fol. 44 b). " Sfiint Dunston was in Engelonde .
icome of gode more ; " ends " fat auragles f i soule to bere. ALIEN."
8. Seint Aldelme, (fol. 4G b). " SEint Aldelnie f e confesso?^r
was man of good line ; " ends ' fat he is on ido. AMEN."
1 See also the Note at the end of the Glossarial Index.
PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832. vii
9. Seint Austyn, (fol. 47 b). " Sfiint Austyn J>at brou^te cn'sten-
dom to Engelonde ; " ends " ^if we were wel vnderstonde."
The last poem is imperfect, but has lost only four lines, which I
venture here to transcribe from MS. Laud. 108, fol. 31 b, to complete
it:
41 His day is toward ]>e ende of May for in J>at day he wende
Out of f is lijf to ihefu crift pat after him J>o sende
Bidde we ^eorne feint Auftin J>at cn'ftindom so broujte
Jjat we moten to Jmlke loye come to 3 wan ore louerd uf bou^te."
The Lives of Judas, Pilate, and Seint Dunston have been printed!
for the Philological Society, ed. F. J. Furnivall, M.A. 1862.
Of the names scribbled on the margins of the MS., the one which
occurs most frequently is that of Nicholas Williams, to whom it
must have belonged in the sixteenth century. We find, on fol. 45,
the entry, "Nicholas Williams was poysond, but by God's grace
escaped it. Gloria patri, Amen, by lacon in Salop." . Lacon is a
township in the parish of Wem, some ten miles due N. of Shrewsbury.
For remarks upon the dialect of the poems, see the end of the
" Introduction to Alisaunder," p. xxxvii.
PEEFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION OF 1832.
BY SIR FREDERICK MADDEN.
The Romance of " William and the Werwolf," contained in the
present volume, is printed from an unique MS. preserved in the
Library of King's College, Cambridge, and its literary history renders-
it of more than common interest to the poetical antiquary. It is
to the memorable Rowleian controversy we are indebted for the
first notice of this poem in its English dress. F In that singular dis-
pute, in which Jacob Bryant, Fellow of King's College, and the Rev.
Jeremiah Milles, D.D., Dean of Exeter, so notably distinguished
themselves in defence of the pseudo-Rowley and his writings, the
former, by a piece of good fortune, stumbled on the Romance, and,
still more fortunately for us, resolved to force it into his service-
Viii PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832.
in support of v the antiquity of Chatterton's forgeries. Accordingly,
in his " Observations," 8vo. Lond. 1781, pp. 14 23, he gives a
short account of the poem, with a few extracts from it. His argu-
ment tends to prove it written in a provincial dialect, and for this pur-
pose he produces a list of words, which he pronounces of a local
nature. But however profound Bryant may have been as a classic
scholar, he possessed very little, or rather, no knowledge of the form-
ation or genius of the old English language. Indeed, his attempt to
prove Chatterton's poetry the production of the 15th century, is quite
sufficient to acquit him of any such pretensions. The consequence
is natural. Nearly all the words considered by him provincial, are
to be met with in every other writer of the period, and even those of
rarer occurrence are, for the most part, found in the Scottish alliter-
ative Eomances of the same century. 1 But the citations made by
Bryant from this MS. were sufficient at a somewhat later period to
attract the attention of the kennel of * black-letter hounds ' then in
full cry after the pothooks of Shakspeare's prompter's book, and
George Steevens, T believe, applied for permission to inspect it. The
volume was then in the hands of Dr Glynne, Senior Fellow of King's
College, who, like Bryant, was a sturdy Kowleian, 2 and he, fancying
1 Bryant's blunders in explaining these words are marvellous. A few instances,
which may be compared with the Glossary at the end of this volume, will serve to
show how little he understood the subject. Thus, he interprets arnd, around ; bourde,
a public house or shop; bretages, bridges; kud, good; kinne, can; maid, madam; welt,
held; warder, further; boggeslyche, boyishly ! Many are also copied so incorrectly
that they can scarcely be recognised, as eni for em, asthis for aschis, gemlych for
gamlyche, kevily for kenely, komchaunce for konichaunce, wlouJce for wlonke, satheli
for scathli, neege for neize \nety~], henden for hiezeden [hie%eden~\. feyful forfeizful
[fei$ful], wyeth for wyez, fayte for fayre, path for paye. And yet this is the man
who pretended to judge of Chatterton's forgeries, and even correct them by his own
notions of Rowley's fancied original. We may truly apply to him some of the
precious lines he wastes his commentary on :
" "Wordes wythoute sense fulle groffyngelye he twynes,
Cotteynge his storie off as wythe a sheere ;
Waytes monthes on nothynge, & hys storie donne,
Ne moe you from ytte kenne, than gyf you neerebegonne."
p. 69. Ed. Tyrwhitt.
2 Dr Glynne bequeathed to the British Museum the original parchments fabri-
cated by Chatterton, which now remain a ' damning proof,' were any wanted, of the
imposture. They present a series of the most contemptible and clumsy forgeries.
PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832. ix
that an examination of the book might not assist the claims of Rowley
to originality, very prudently locked the treasure up, and there if
slumbered till it was once more brought to light by the Rev. C. H.
Hartshorne, about the year 1824. 1 By permission of the Provost,
about 560 lines of the commencement were copied, and they form a
portion of a volume intitled " Ancient Metrical Tales," published in
1829, 8vo., pp. 256 287. Of the inaccuracy of this transcript I
shall say nothing, as it will sufficiently appear by comparison with
the text now printed.
Having thus briefly stated the mode in which this MS. became
known to the public, the next point of inquiry will be the author of
the poem in its present shape } and here, I regret to add, no inform-
ation can be gained. All we know on the subject is derived from
the writer himself, who tells us, he translated it from the French at
the command of Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford. These are
his words, at the end of the first fytte or passus :
Thus passed is the first pas of this pris tale,
And 36 that loven and lyken to listen ani more,
Alle wi^th on hoi hert to the hei} king of hevene,
Preieth a pater noster prively this time,
For the hend Erl of Herford, sir Humfray de Bowie,
The king Edioardes newe, at Glouseter that ligges,
For he of Frensche this fay re tale f erst dede translate,
In ese of Englysch men, in Englysch speche. (fol. 3.)
And at the end of the poem, in similar but in fuller terms :
In thise wise hath William al his werke ended,
As fully as the Frensche fully wold asJce,
And as his witte him wold serve though it were febul 2 . . . .
But faire frendes, for Goddes love, and for ^our owne mensk,
MSS. Add. 5766. A.B.C. Alas, for the shade of Rowley ! [For specimens of
these poems, and critical remarks upon them, see Warton, Hist. English Poetry.
xxvi. W. W. S.]
1 Weber has, indeed, pointed it out as one of those Romances worthy of public-
ation, but he never saw the MS. itself. See Metr. Rom. Introd. p. Ixviii.
[ 2 Sir F. Madden did not quote these first three lines in this place (though he
quoted them farther on, see p. xxii) ; but it is worth while to observe that they tell
us the poet's own Christian name, which (like his hero's) was William. W.W.S.]
X PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832.
3e that liken in love swiche thinges to here,
Prei^eth for that gode Lord that gart this do make,
The hende Erl of Hereford, Hum/ray de Boune ;
The gode king Edwardes doubter was his dere moder ;
He let make this mater in this maner speche,
For hem that knowe no Frensche, ne never understood] :
Biddith that blisful burn that bou^t us on the rode,
And to his moder Marie, of mercy that is welle,
3^/' the Lord god lif, ml he in erthe lenges,
And ivhan he wendes of this world, welthe with-oute ende,
To lenge in that liking joye, that lesteth ever more. (fol. 82.)
It has been the more necessary to quote these passages at length, in
order to correct the absurd mistakes of Bryant, who, not understand-
ing the phrases, " at Glouseter that ligges" and " ferst dede trans-
late," nor the import of the line, " }if the Lord god lif," &c., has
supposed, first, that the Earl himself had made a prior translation to
the one before us, and secondly, that he was dead and buried at Glou-
cester, when the second version was undertaken ! It is scarcely
necessary to point out, that the words " ferst dede translate," only
mean first caused to be translated, and are strictly synonymous with
" gart this do make," and " let make." Then, as to the Earl's lying
dead at Gloucester, the Poet can have no such meaning, for at the
conclusion of the Eomance he begs his hearers to pray to God and
the Virgin to give the Earl "good life," and after his decease,
eternal felicity. The line simply means, resident or dwelling at
Gloucester, 1 and although the term to ligge was in subsequent times
more often used in the sense understood by Bryant, yet there is no
reason, in the above instance, to depart from its original and obvious
meaning.
1 In the 21 Edw. 3, Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, obtained the royal
license to embattle his Manor- Houses in the Counties of Gloucester, Essex, Middle-
sex, and Wiltshire. In the former of these only one mansion is mentioned, that of
Whitenhurst, or Wheatenhurst, situated about eight miles south from Gloucester,
and it is very probable that this is the spot alluded to in general terms by the Poet.
"We know, moreover, that the Earl was not buried at Gloucester, but at the Augus-
tine Friars, in London, which he had himself re-edified in 1354. See Dugdale,
Baron, i. 184 ; Rudder's Gloucest. p. 813; and Stowe's Survey, p. 185.
PREFACE TO THE EDITIOX OF 1832. XI
The nobleman thus alluded to was the sixth Earl of Hereford of
the name of Bohun, and third son of Humphrey de Bohun, fourth
Earl of Hereford, and Elizabeth Plantagenet, seventh daughter of
King Edward the First ; consequently he was nephew to King Edward
the Second, as intimated in the poem, and first cousin to King Edward
the Third. He succeeded to the earldom at the age of twenty-four, on
the death of his brother John without issue, 20th Jan., 1335-6, and
died, unmarried, 15th Oct., 136 1. 1 We are, therefore, enabled to fix
the date of the composition of the English Eomance with sufficient
accuracy, nor shall we greatly err, if we refer it to the year 1350.
This will agree extremely well with the scanty notices transmitted to
us of De Bohun's life, which, like most of those relating to the
belted barons of this chivalric period, are chiefly of a military char-
acter. 2 Yet it may be doubted whether, as a soldier, the Earl of
Hereford was at any time distinguished, and whether he may not
have been confounded by Eroissart with his brother, the Earl of
Northampton. And this conjecture corresponds with the instrument
preserved in Rymer, 3 dated 12th June, 1338, by which the King
ratifies Humphrey de Bohun's resignation of his hereditary office of
Constable of England, in favor of his brother, " tarn ob corporis sui
iribecillitatem, quam propter infirmitatem diuturnam qua detinetur, ad
officium Constabularia^ exercendum" &c. We may, therefore, with
1 Dugd. Baron, i. 184. ; Milles, p. 1072.
2 In 1337, he was entrusted with the guard of the important garrison of Perth
in Scotland. (Dugd. Baron, i. 184). Three years afterwards he is said to have taken
a part, together with his warlike brother, "William de Bohun, Earl of Northamp-
ton, in the battle of the Sluys, fought in the King's presence, (Froissart, by Lord
Berners, f. 30. Ed. 1525), and commemorated by Laurence Minot, a contemporary
poet. The next year, 1341, we meet with him in the magnificent feast and jousts
held by the King at London in honor of the Countess of Salisbury the same to
whom the noble Order of the Garter is said to owe its origin (Froissart, f. 46). In
1342, he was ordered to provide forty men of arms and sixty archers for the King's
service in Britanny, and to attend the Council at London, to treat concerning their
wages. (Dugd. Baron, i. 184). In 1346 he accompanied the King into France to
relieve the town of Aguillon, then besieged by the French, (Froissart, f. 59 b) ; but
it is not stated by our historians whether he was present at the famous battle of
Cressy, fought shortly after. In 1359, he again attended the King on a similar
expedition, (Froissart, f. 100), and nothing further is recorded of him till his death,
which took place two years afterwards.
3 Vol. v. p. 52.
xii PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832.
great probability conclude, that the Earl's weak state of bodily health
exempted him from taking an active part in the warfare of the time,
although he might have assisted the King with his counsels. To the
same cause we may doubtless ascribe that love for literature which
induced him to cause the Eomance of William and the Werwolf to
be translated from the French, not, as is evident, for his own use,
since French was then the language of the Court, but for the benefit
of those persons of the middle class, to whom the French language
was unknown. By the influence of a similar motive, we possess the
translations made by Eobert of Brunne at the commencement of this
century :
" Not for the lerid bot the lewed,
For tho that in this land wonn,
That the Latyn no Frankys conn,
For to haf solace and gamen,
In felawschip whanne thai sit samen." 1
Higden's testimony to the prevalence of French in the education of
gentlemen's children at that period is very precise, and it became so
much the fashion towards the middle of the century, that a proverb
was made of inferior persons who attempted to imitate the practice
of the higher classes : " Jack wold be a gentylman yf he coude speke
Frensshe." 2 Trevisa adds, that "this was moche used tofore the
grete deth [1349], but syth it is somdele chaunged;" which was,
doubtless, accelerated by the Act passed in 1362, ordering all
pleadings to be in the English tongue, and much more by the
popular compositions of Gower, Chaucer, and the author of Piers
Plouhman. From all these circumstances it wpuld seem most pro-
bable that the work was executed after the Earl's return from France,
in 1349, between which year and his second expedition in 1359, he
appears to have resided on his estates. That this style of composi-
tion was much admired and encouraged in England during the 14th
century is apparent from the alliterative Romances still extant of the
period. But it is very seldom we are indulged with the names of
the persons by whom or for whom these poems were written, and, in
1 Prol. to Chron. ap. Hearne, Pref. p. xcvi.
2 Dcscr. of Brit. c. 15. Ed. 1515. Jul. Notary.
PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832. xiii
that respect, the present poem becomes more intitled to notice, from
its introducing us to a nobleman, whose claims to biography are so
very feeble, and who would never otherwise have been known as a
patron of literature.
The history, however, of the Romance does not conclude here.
We must next trace it in its original form ; and here, also, we shall
find some circumstances which render it worthy of attention. The
origin and progress of French poesy, both of the Trouveres and
Troubadours, have been successfully illustrated by Fauchet, Roque-
fort, 1 De la Rue, Raynouard, and others, but, more particularly, by
the authors of the Histoire Litteraire de la France. From these
authorities we know that many Romances were composed by the
Norman poets previous to the year 1200, which subsequently became
the text-books of the English versifiers of the 14th century. Most
of these were founded on the two great sources of fiction throughout
Europe ; the exploits of Charlemagne and his Douze Pairs, and of
Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, amplified from the
fictitious histories of Turpin and Geoffry of Monmouth. The chief
exceptions to this cycle of poetry at the period we are treating of, are
the Romances of Havelok, Horn, Benoit's Guerre de Troie, Garin le
Loherain, Alexander, Athys et Porfilias, Florimond, Gerard de
Rousillon, and, perhaps, some few others composed by Raoul de
Houdane, and Thiebaut de Mailli, all of which come under the class
1 When speaking of our English Romances, Roquefort is by no means to be
relied on. Thus, describing the English Kyng Horn, he says it was composed in
the 8th or 9th century. He then confounds it with the Frankish fragment of Hilde-
brand and Hathubrand, published by Eckard, and takes Ritson to task, for saying
that the French text was the original ; who would not, he writes, have committed
such an error, if he had consulted MS. Harl. 2253, where the Romance exists in
Anglo-Saxon ! ! ! The reply is easy. The copy of Kyng Horn in the Harleian MS.
was written about the year 1300, and it was from this very MS. Ritson published
his text. The editor of the present volume [i. e. of the edition of 1832] was fortunate
enough to discover another copy of Kyng Horn in the Bodleian, of the same age,
which, in many respects, gives preferable readings. M. Roquefort goes on to call
the Auchinleck MS. a collection of French poetry, &c. See his Dissertation " De
I'etat de la Poesie Franqoise dans les xii. et xiii. siecles." 8vo. Paris, 1815, pp. 48,
49. [NOTE. There is a still better copy of Kyng Horn in the Cambridge University
Library, first printed for the Bannatyne Club by Mr T. Wright, and reprinted by
Mr Lumby in his edition, published for the E. E. T. S. in 1866. W. W. S.j
XIV PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832.
of Romans mixtes. Among these also we are intitled to place our
Romance of William and the Werwolf, the title of which in the
original, is, Roman de Guillaume de Paler ne. The popularity of this
singular tale, (which one would suppose was formed on some
Italian tradition, picked up by the Norman adventurers in Apulia
and Sicily), must have been considerable, since in the ancient in-
ventories of the libraries of the Dukes of Burgundy, taken in 1467
and 1487, we find no less than three copies of it. 1 At present, the
catalogues of MSS. in England have been searched in vain for the
poem, and in Trance, on a similar inquiry being made, only one copy
has been discovered, preserved in the Bibliotheque de F Arsenal, at
Paris, 2 and, to all appearance, is the same MS. which was formerly
at Brussels. 3 By the obliging attentions of M. Van Praet, the dis-
tinguished Librarian of the Bibliotheque Royale, the Editor is
enabled to give some account of this unique volume. It is a vellum.
MS. of a small folio size, consisting of 157 leaves, and written in
double columns of 31 lines each, towards the close of the thirteenth
century. It contains the Roman d' Escouffle (fol. 1 77), and the
Roman du Guillaume de Palerne. The latter commences thus :
Nus ne se doit celer ne taire, &c., 4
and ends in the following manner :
Del roi GuilKawme et de sa mere,
De ses enfans et de son guerre, (?)
De son empire et de son regne,
Trait li estoires ci a fin.
Gil qwi tos iors fu et sans fin
Sera, et pardoune briement,
H gart la contesse Yolent,
La bonne dame, la Icial,
Et il descort son.cors de rnal.
- See a curious volume, intitled "Bibliotheque Protypographique." 4to. Paris,
1830, pp. 199, 302, 323.
2 Marked JBelles Lettres, 178.
3 See the work just cited, p. 323. It is there called of the fourteenth century.
[ 4 Here Sir F. Madden quotes the first 24 lines, which I omit, as, by the great
kindness of M. Michelant, of the Bibliotheque Imperiale, I am enabled to give much
longer extracts; see pp. 16, and 1923, of this book. W. W. S.]
PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832. XV
Gest liure Jist diter et faire,
Et de Latin en Roumans traire.
Proions dieu por la bonne dam[e]
Qwen bon repos en mete lame,
Et il nous doinst ce deseruir,
Q?^a boine fin puissons venir. Amen.
Explicit li Roumans de Guilliaume de Palerne.
The lady here referred to can be no other than Yoland, eldest daughter
of Baldwin IV., Count of Hainault, and Alice of Namur. She was
married, first, to Yves, or Yvon, Count of Soissons, surnamed le Viel,
who is characterised by an old Chronicler as a nobleman " de grande
largesse, et sage sur tous les Barons de France." ! On his death,
without issue, which took place in 1177, she married, secondly, Hugh
Candavene IV., Count of St. Paul, by whom she had two daughters,
the eldest of which carried the title into the family of Chastillon.
By the union of Judith, daughter of Charles the Bold, with Baldwin
I., Count of Flanders, the Countess Yoland claimed descent from the
blood of Charlemagne, and by the marriage of her brother Baldwin
the Courageous with Margaret of Alsace, heiress of Flanders and
Artois, she became aunt to Baldwin VI., Count of Hainault and
Flanders, who in 1204 was elected Emperor of Constantinople, 2 and
to Isabel of Hainault, who, in 1180, shared the throne of Philip
Augustus, King of France. Such was the splendid alliance of the
lady to whom our poem owes its origin. In accordance with the
prevailing taste of the age, we find the Counts of Hainault and
Flanders distinguished patrons of poesy. Chrestien de Troyes is said
to have dedicated several of his Romances to Philip of Alsace, Count
of Flanders, who died in 1191, 3 and Baldwin V., Count of Hainault,
1 Du Chesne ; Hist, de la Maison de Chastillon, fol. Par. 1621. Preuves, p. 33.
2 The author of the analysis of this Romance, in the Nouv. Bibl. des Romans, t. ii.
p. 41, who copies from the printed prose version, hereafter to be noticed, makes a
singular mistake, by confounding the Countess of St. Paul with Yoland, sister of the
Emperor Baldwin, and wife of Peter de Courteney, who was subsequently, in her
right, Emperor of Constantinople, and died in 1221. He says also, that the
Countess Yoland found the Romance among the papers of her nephew after his
death [1205], but this is a mere invention of the writer himself, and contradicted
by the original text. 3 Hist. Litt. de la France, sin. 193.
xvi PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832.
having found at Sens, in Burgundy, a MS. of the Life of Charlemagne,
gave the work at his death [1195] to his sister Yoland (the same
lady above mentioned), who caused it to be translated into French
prose. l We have once more to lament that the author of our original
(most probably, a native of Artois,) should have concealed his name,
but the time of its composition may be assigned between 1'178, the
probable date of her marriage with the Count of St. Paul, and the
year 1200. The Count died at Constantinople before 1206, and
Yoland did not, in all probability, survive him long. She was, cer-
tainly, alive in 1202, as appears from an instrument in Du Chesne.
This Eomance may therefore be ranked among the earliest of those
composed at the close of the 12th century, and it is surprising it should
have been overlooked by Roquefort and the Benedictines.
At a much later period, apparently, at the beginning of the 16th
century, this poem was converted into French prose. Three editions
of it are known to book-collectors ; the first printed at Paris, by
Nicolas Bonfons, 4to Hit. goth. ; 2 the second at Lyons, 1552, by
Olivier Arnoult, 4to ; 3 and a third at the same place (probably a re-
print) by the widow of Louis Coste, s. a. about 1634. The ' traduc-
teur,' in a short preface, tells us he obtained the original by gift of a
friend, and finding the language to be "romant antique rimoye, en
1 Ib. xiii. 386. Fauchet, Eecueil de 1'Origine de la Langue Fran9oise, fol.
Par. 1581 ; p. 34.
3 Copies of this exist in the British Museum, and in Mr Douce' s library. In
the former there is a note in the handwriting of Kitson, who supposes it to have
proceeded from the press of Nicholas, the father of John Bonfons, whose son Nicholas
printed from about 1550 to 1590. The title is as follows : " L' Historic du noble
preux $ vaittant Cheualier Guillaume de Palerne. Et de la belle Melior. Lequel
Guillaume de Palerne fut filz du Roy de Cecille. Et par fortune $ merueilleuse
auenture deuint vacher. Et finablement fut Empereur de Rome souz la conduicte dun
Loupgaroux filz au Roy Dtspagne." The text is accompanied with wood-cuts. This
volume is noticed both by Du Verdier, t. iv. p. 169, Ed. Juvigny, and Bibl. des
Romans, t. ii. p. 245, but neither of these writers mention the author. [NOTE.
Besides these three, there is a fourth edition, printed at Rouen by Louys Coste
(about 1620 ?), of which there is now a copy in the British Museum (class-mark
125130). It is in Roman type, not black-letter, and seems to be merely copied
from the first edition. A search for a particular passage shewed that both prose
versions omit the portion contained in 11. 2449 2567. W. W. S.]
3 See Dr Dibdin's Tour, vol. ii. p. 337, who describes a copy of this, and the
later edition, in the Bibliotheque de 1' Arsenal.
PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832.
XV 11
sorte non intelligible ne lisible," lie turned it into modem French, with
some additions of his own, for the assistance of those who might wish
to read it : " Car en icelle lisant," he adds, "pourra Ton veoir plu-
sieurs faictz d'armes, d'arnours, & fortunes innumerables, & choses
admirables, q' aduindrerct au preux & vaillant cheualier Guillaume
de Palerne, duquel 1'histoire port le nom." He afterwards adverts to
the Countess Yoland, and her nephew Baldwin, Emperor of Constan-
tinople, who was slain by the infidels at the siege of Adrianople, in
1205. And adds : "Pour 1'hoTmeur de laquelle & de si haut empereur
pouuows facillement accroistre les choses au present liure contenues."
Whether the story will appear quite so credible at the present day is
rather questionable. The French bibliographers are silent as to the
author of this prose version, and Dr Dibdin's sagacity seems to have
failed him here. But at the end of the volume is an acrostic of
twelve lines, the first letters of which form the name of Pierre
Durand, who, no doubt, is the compiler. Any further information
respecting him I have been unable to obtain, unless he is the same
with the Pierre Durand, Bailli of Nogent le Rotrou, en Perche, men-
tioned by Lacroix du Maine, who adds, that he was an excellent
Latin poet, and composed many inedited verses both in Latin and
French. ! No notice is supplied of the period at which he lived. It
was, most likely, from this prose translation, that the imperfect analysis
of the Romance was borrowed, printed in the Nouvelle Bibliotlieqiie
des Romans, torn. ii. pp. 41 68, 12mo. Par. an. vi. [1808] where it is
placed in the class of " Romans de Feerie," although professedly ex-
tracted from a MS. of the 14th century.
By the assistance of Durand's version we are enabled to judge of
the accuracy of the English versifier, since they both translate from
the same text, and it is surprising how closely the latter has adhered
to his original. Another advantage gained from it is to supply the
hiatus which, unfortunately, occur in tbe English poem. To avoid
the prolixity of the prose author, the substance of the passages want-
ing, is here annexed : 2
1 Bibl. Francises, torn. ii. p. 272; ed. 1772. He is said also to have had an
(enigma or rebus in the front of his house, which seems to indicate the same taste
which prompted the composition of the acrostic cited above.
[ 2 These missing passages are supplied in this re-edition from the original rimed
French version. W. W. S.]
Xviii PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832.
" There was formerly a King of Sicily, named Ebron, who was
also Duke of Calabria and Lord of Apulia ; rich and powerful above
all other princes of his time. He married Felixe, daughter of the
Emperor of Greece, and not long after their union, they were blessed
with a son named William, the hero of the present story. The infant
was intrusted to the care of two sage and prudent ladies, named
Gloriande and Esglantine, who were chosen to superintend his
nurture and education. But the brother of King Ebron, foreseeing
that his succession to the throne would be now impeded, soon formed
a resolution to destroy the boy, and, by means of promises and bribes
so wrought on the governesses, that they at length consented to a plan
by which both the Prince and King were to be put to death. At that
time the Court was held at the noble city of Palerne [Palermo], ad-
joining to which was a spacious garden, abounding with flowers and
fruits, in which the King was often accustomed to take his recreation.
But one day, when Ebrons was walking here, accompanied by the
Queen and the Prince (then about four years old), attended by the
two governesses, an event took place which turned all their joy into
the deepest consternation and grief. For, whilst the King's brother
and the two ladies were holding a secret conference how to carry
their project into execution, a huge werwolf, with open jaws and
bristled mane, suddenly rushed forth from a thicket, at which the
ladies were so terrified, that they swooned away, and the rest fled,
leaving the child alone, who was immediately carried off, without
injury, by the beast. The King ordered pursuit to be made, but in
vain, for the swiftness of the animal soon enabled him to distance
his pursuers ; to the great distress of the monarch and his court. The
Aver wolf bore the child away to a place of safety, and thence, pursu-
ing his course night and day, at length conveyed him to a forest, not
far from the city of Borne, where he remained some time, taking care
to provide what was necessary for his sustenance ; and having dug
a deep pit, and strewed it with herbs and grass for William to sleep
on, the beast was accustomed to fondle the boy with his paws in the
same manner a nurse would have done."
Here commences the English Eoniance, which, with the excep-
tion of a folio (or 72 lines) missing between ff. 6 7, proceeds
regularly to the end. This second defect occurs at the close of the
Emperor's speech to his daughter Melior, and the text again begins
with Melior's reproaches to herself for loving William. What in-
tervenes may be easily supplied, even from fancy, but in the prose
Romance we read as follows :
"The Emperor's daughter received the infant, which proved of so
gentle a disposition, that it seemed to have been bred at court all its
fife-time. It was soon clothed in dresses of silk and velvet, and
PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832.
XIX
became the plaything of the fair Melior. ' Et alors,' says the writer,
* le faisoit mout beau veoir : car en toute la court ny auoit si bel en-
fant que luy, ne si aduenant. Sobre estoit en son manger & boire,
facilemens fut apprins a seruir les dames a tables ; a tons ieux, & a
deuiser & a dire ioyeuses sornetes a tous propos.' But above all,
William studied how best to serve his lady and mistress Melior,
whom he loved above every one else. As he advanced in age he
began to share in the chivalrous exercises of the time ; to bear arms,
ride on the great horse, and practise various feats of strength, all for
the love of Melior, his * mie ' ; and so great a favourite was he with
all the ladies and demoiselles, that Melior heard of nothing but his
praises. The Emperor, too, was so fond of William, as to keep him
constantly by his side. In the mean time, the Princess would often
withdraw to her chamber to dwell secretly on the personal attrac-
tions and graceful demeanor of William, and was at length so pierced
by love's keen arrow, that she could not refrain from sighing, and
desiring to hold him in her arms. But then again, considering with
herself, that a lady of her noble birth ought not to bestow her affec-
tion on any one but a Knight of her own rank, she often vainly
endeavoured to drive William from her thoughts."
The remaining part of la belle Melior's soliloquy will be found in
our poem, and the translation is sufficiently naive to be interesting
even to those who may, in general, despise the simple language of
our old Eomances.
The tradition developed in this story, and which forms its chief
feature, namely, the transformation of a human being into a wolf,
but still retaining many of the attributes of his nature, has been so
learnedly and ably discussed by the author of the Letter annexed to
the present remarks, 1 as to render any additional illustration unneces-
sary. But it may not be improper here to suggest, that the belief in this
notion in the southern provinces of Europe may have been partly
derived through the medium of the Northmen, among whom, as ap-
pears from various authorities, it was very general. A curious story
of a were-bear in Eolf Kraka's Saga is quoted by Sir Walter Scott, 2
which has some slight features of resemblance with our werwolf, and
it is singular, that this metamorphosis should have been accomplished
by striking the person transformed with a glove of wolf-sldn. In the
1 [In the Edition of 1832, a Letter by the Hon. Algernon Herbert, addressed to
Lord Cawdor, on the subject of "Werewolves, was annexed to the Preface. W. "W. S.]
2 Border Minstr. ii. 110, ed. 1803. [The story, condensed, is given in S.
Baring-Gould's Book of Werewolves, pp. 21 27. W. W. S.]
XX
PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832.
Volsunga Saga, also, cap. 12, we read of the similar change of Sig-
m und and Siufroth into wolves. 1 In general, the transformation was
supposed to be accomplished, as in our Romance, by the aid of
certain magical unguents. 2 With regard to the supposed form of
these werwolves, and whether they differed from those of natural
wolves, I have searched many writers, without much success, but
Boguet informs us, that in 1521, three sorcerers were executed, who
confessed they had often become Loupsgaroux, and killed many
persons. 3 A painting was made to commemorate the fact, in which
these werwolves were each represented with a knife in his right paw.
This picture, we are told, was preserved in the church of tke Jaco-
bins, at Pouligny, 4 in Burgundy. One distinctive mark, however, of
a werwolf is said to have been the absence of a tail, 5 yet this does
not seem to correspond with the vulgar notions on the subject, since
in the wooden cut prefixed to the prologue of. the prose translation
of this Romance, representing the werwolf carrying off the infant
Prince of Palermo, there certainly appears a tail of due proportions.
On the style in which this poem is written, and its peculiarities of
language, it is needless to dwell long. The history of our allitera-
tive poetry has already been illustrated by Percy, Warton, and Cony-
beare, and the principle on which it was composed, even to so late a
date as the middle of the 16th century, is sufficiently known. 6 The
1 Biorner's Kampa-Daeter, fol. 1737. [See S. Baring-Gould's Book of Were-
wolves, p. 18. W. W. S.]
2 See Discours des Borders, par Henry Boguet, 12mo. Lyon, 1608. 2de ed. pp.
363, 369; Verstegan's Restitution of Decayed Intelligence, 4to. Antv. 1605, p. 237;
Jamiesorfs Dictionary, in v. Warwolf, and Nynauld's treatise De la Lycanthropie,
8vo., Par. 1625, where several of these ointments are described.
[ 3 Another account says two sorcerers, named Pierre Bourgot and Michel Ver-
dung. See A Book on Werewolves, by S. Baring-Gould, p. 69.]
4 Boguet, p. 341. Wierus de Prastigiis, lib. v. c. 10.
5 Boguet, pp. 340, 361. [A little girl described a werwolf as "resembling a
wolf, but as being shorter and stouter ; its hair was red, its tail stumpy, and the
head smaller than that of a genuine wolf." See the story in S. Baring- Gould's
Book on Werewolves, p. 91. W. W. S.]
6 See Essay in the "Reliques of English Poetry, vol. ii. ; Warton' s Hist, of
Engl. Poetry, vol. ii. 10, 8vo. ed. ; Whitaker's Introductory Discourse to Piers
Plouhman, and Conybeare's Essay on Anglo-Saxon Metre, prefixed to the Illustra-
tions of Anglo-Saxon Poetry, 8vo., Lond. 1826. [In the new edition of Bp Percy's
Folio MS. by Hales and Furnivall, Percy's Essay has been replaced by a fuller and
longer one by myself, to which I beg leave to refer the reader. W. W. S.]
PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832. XXI
lines in the poem consist of an indeterminate number of syllables,
from eleven to thirteen, but sometimes more or less, which, like Piers
Plouhman, and other compositions of this class, may be .divided into
distichs, at the caesural pause, so as to give them the Saxonic char-
acter on which they are all formed. Thus, for instance :
Hit bi-/el in that /orest,
there /ast by-side,
There woned a wel old cherl,
that was a couherde,
That /ele winterres in that /orest
jfoyre had kepud, &c.
It adds, however, to the value of this Romance, that we havo ill it
the earliest specimen of unrimed alliterative metre yet discovered ;
for of the other pieces of this kind extant, there is not one which
may not be placed subsequent to Piers Plouhman, composed after
the year 1362. 1 It is also matter of satisfaction to be able to fix the
date of this work prior to the period which produced such writers
as Gower and Chaucer. We can now trace the English language
step by step from the year 1300, since the writings of Robert of
Gloucester, Robert of Erunne, Robert Davies, William of Shore-
ham, 2 Robert Rolle, and Laurence Minot, lead us up to the precise
period when our poem was composed, and which forms the connect-
ing link with Langland and the subsequent writers. Without decid-
ing with Bryant, that our Romance betrays very distinctly a provincial
dialect, we may accede to his conjecture of its author being, probably,
a native of Gloucestershire, or an adjoining county ; although the
orthography by no means betrays that decided western pronunciation
1 Mr Conybeare is certainly mistaken in assigning the Romances of Sir Gawayn
and Alexander to the 13th century, as I shall endeavour to show in another place.
[See Sir F. Madden's notes to Sir Gawayn. See on the other hand my "Intro-
duction to Alisaunder," (p. xxx), which poem is now found to be somewhat earlier
than "William of Palerne." W. W. S.]
2 The poems of this writer, who nourished from 1320 to 1340, are preserved in
an unique MS. belonging to Alexander Henderson, Esq., of Edinburgh, who in-
tends, at some period or other, giving them to the public. \The Religious Poems of
William de Shoreham were edited for the Percy Society by T. Wright, M.A., Lon-
don, 1849. The MS. is now MS. Additional 17376 in the British Museum.
w. w. s.i
XX11
PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832.
which characterises the poems ascribed to Robert of Gloucester. Of
his ability as a poet we ought on the whole to form a favorable
judgment; and when we consider the fetters imposed on him by the
metre he adopts, and by the closeness of his translation, we may
readily forgive the repetitions he abounds in, as well as the somewhat
tedious minuteness of his narrative. There are some lines, such as
for instance these :
And than so throli thou^tes thurlen myn herte,
That I ne wot in the world where it bi comse ;
and again,
So many maner minstracie at that mariage were,
That when thei made here menstracie, eche man wende
That heven hastili and erthe schuld hurtel to gader ;
which would seem to mark the author capable of better things. But
the poet shall plead his own apology, in some lines at the close of the
.Romance :
In this wise hath William al his werke ended,
As fully as the Frensche fully wold aske,
And as his witte him wold serve, though it were febul ;
But though the metur be nouyt mad at eche marines paye,
Wite him nouyt that it wrou^t, he wold have do beter
$if is witte in eny wei^es wold him have served.
It would seem from this, as if the alliterative form of alexandrine
verse had not yet become popular, and was, in fact, but lately intro-
duced. It is worth observing also, that the number of French words
here introduced, will serve to exonerate Chaucer from the charge
made against him of debasing the English language by Gallicisms.
Such a remark could only have come from one ignorant of what
early English literature owes to our continental neighbours.
There are some minuter details respecting the grammatical con-
struction of the poem, which perhaps deserve notice, such as the use
of the present tense for the past, as ashes, arise, bere, seweth, &c., for
asked, arose, bore, sewede, &c., the use of the singular for the plural
(if, indeed, it be not a contracted form of the plural, which I am in-
clined to believe, like childer from childereri), in the instances of daie,
PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1832.
dede, burgeys, bere, &c., for dates, dede-s, burgeyses, beres, &c. ; but
the fact is, these are not peculiarities, but authorised by usage, and
many similar forms are retained, even at present, in familiar convers-
ation, particularly among the lower classes.
It only remains to give a brief description of the MS. from which
the present poem has been transcribed. It is a moderate-sized folio,
written on vellum soon after the middle of the 14th century, and
consisting of 130 folios, 82 of which are occupied by the Romance.
A quire is wanting at the commencement, and a single leaf shortly
after. The text is disposed in single columns, of 3 6 'lines in a page,
and the writing is in a remarkably distinct, but rather thick and
inelegant, letter, with small blue and red initials. 1 ....
At the conclusion of the Romance, f. 86, is written in a hand of
the early part of the 16th century as follows : 2 " Praye we all to that
heaven kinge that made all y e world off nowght to pardon the solle
of humfray boune, that was erlle of herford, for hys grete dylygens
and peyns takynge to translate thys boke owt off freynche In to
englys ; to y* entent to kepe youythe from ydellnes, [he] hathe sete
furthe thys goodly story, wher apon we showld bestow our tym apon
the holy day, & suche other tymes when we haue lytle or nothynge
a doyng elles, & In so doynge ye may put awey all ydell thowghte-5
& pensyffnes [of] harte, for the wyche traueyll pray we all to that
heuyw kynge to graunt hym eternall lyf for hys good wyll." The
rest of the volume is occupied by a portion of the Metrical Lives of
the Saints, composed in the reign of Edward the First, and written
in a different and rather earlier hand. The lives are those of Judas,
Pilatus, Seint Marie JEgiptiak, Seint Alphe, Seint George, Seint
Dunston, Seint Aldelme, and Seint Austyn? There are several other
p I here omit the words " A fac-simile of the first seven lines is subjoined,"
which are followed by the fac-simile itself. The marks of abbreviation are ex-
plained further on ; see p. xxiv. A peculiarity of the MS. is that the initial letter of
every line is separated from the rest by a slight space, as in Sir F. Madden' s edition.
The central metrical pause is nowhere marked by a dot. I am responsible for the
insertion of these, which will, I believe, be found to assist the reader. W. W. S.]
[ 2 These words were clearly suggested by the concluding lines of the poem,
and it was hence, perhaps, that Bryant adopted the idea that Sir Humphrey trans-
lated the French himself. W. W. S.]
[ 3 There is a poem preceding Judas, and belonging to the same series. See the
first lines, &c., on p. vi. W. W. S.]
MARKS OF ABBREVIATION.
perfect copies of these curious legends in existence. With respect
to the history of this MS. volume before it was presented to King's
College Library, I could gain no information, nor even the name of
the donor. There are several names scribbled on the margins, but
all of a late period, and of no importance.
The Romance has been printed, as nearly as possible, in exact ac-
cordance with the MS., and not the slightest liberty has been taken,
either with the punctuation or the orthography. It is, in short, as
near a fac-simile of the original as could be imitated by typography.
But for the convenience of those unacquainted with the mode of
contracting words in old MSS., a list of the abbreviations is placed
at the end of these remarks. The Glossary has been compiled with
much care, and rendered as comprehensive as possible, but with all
due regard to avoid unnecessary prolixity. Only those words are
illustrated which appeared absolutely to require it : it being deemed
in other cases sufficient to mark the immediate derivation of the term.
The Editor, in conclusion, has to express his thanks to the Rev.
George Thackeray, D.D., Provost of King's College, for his permis-
sion to copy the MS. ; and also to Martin Thackeray, Esq., M.A.,
Vice Provost; John Heath, Esq., M.A., Dean; and George Crauford
Heath, Esq., M.A., Bursar of the College, for their very obliging
attentions during the residence made among them.
FREDERICK MADDEN.
British Museum, January 6th, 1832.
MARKS OF ABBREVIATION.
Q , con or com, as Qseil, Qfort [conseil, comfort].
?, er, above the line, as J)id'e, daung f , man', s'ue, wint'res, ]>'e,
gou'ne, v'aly [jridere, daunger, maner, seme, winterres, J?ere, gouerne,
veraly]. After p', re, as p'stely [prestely].
ihc, Ihesus.*
p, per or par, as pile, ptizes, spe [perile, parties, spere].
[* See note to L 692. W. W. S.]
NOTE ON THE WORD " WERWOLF." XXV
p, pro, as ^fite, pue [profile, proue].
q, quod [qwoo 1 ].
! , ri, above the line, as p^ice, c j ft [prmce, cn'st].
w , ra, above the line, as fm, gee, py [fram, grace, pray] some-
times a, as Willm [WilKam]. *
f ^, ur, above the line, as mjje, tne, 6 [nmrfe, twrne, our].
The simple stroke over a letter denotes the absence of m or n, as-
su, hi, houd [sum, hiw, hoiwd].
NOTE ON THE WORD "WERWOLF."
(Reprinted, with additions, from the edition of 1832.)
BY SIR FREDERICK MADDEN.
THIS term has the same meaning, and is compounded of the same-
elements, as the \vK-av6p<DTroG of the Greeks. From the high antiquity
of the tradition respecting werewolves, and its having been current
among the Celtic as well as Gothic nations, we find the expression in
most of the dialects formed from each of the parent languages, and all
corresponding to the signification above affixed of man-wolf, i. e. a wolf
partaking of the nature of man, or, in other words, a man changed, by
magical art, into the temporary form of a wolf. All the northern lexi-
cographers agree in this interpretation, as applied to the Su.-G. warulf,
Teut. werwolf j wahrwolf, Sax. werewulf, Dan. varulf, Belg. waer wolf,weer
wolf, Scotch, warwolf, werwouf, &c., but as the very learned and ingeni-
ous author of the Letter addressed to Lord Cawdor on the subject of
Werewolves, prefixed to the present poem, [i. e. in the edition of 1832,]
has called their united opinion in question, it may be worth while to
discuss more fully the truth of the usual derivation. It is true, that the
hypothesis of Mr Herbert, which deduces the first part of the phrase
from the Teutonic wer, bellum, (whence the French guerre, and the Dutch
were have been formed) may be, in some measure, countenanced by the
similar compounds of wcer-boda, a herald, were-man, a soldier, were-wall,
a defence in war, &o., as well as by the instance of a warlike machine
made by King Edward the First, called war-wolf, and rightly interpreted
by Matthew of Westminster lupus belli, p. 449, the ludgare or loup de
guerre of Peter Langtoft, vol. ii. 326. But in conceding thus much, it
[* The mark really is a roughly written a, and means an abbreviation wherein
a occurs, commonly ra or ia. W. W. S.]
NOTE ON THE WORD " WERWOLF. '
must be remarked, that all these latter terms are used in a military sense,
and could not otherwise be interpreted. They bear no analogy what-
ever to the were-wolf of our Poem, which, supposing we receive it in the
sense contended for by the author of the Letter, viz. a wolf of war, con-
veys no distinct or very intelligible meaning. On the other hand, the
plain, obvious signification of man-wolf is consonant to the fabulous
tradition of the phrase, and to the genius of the languages in which it
has been adopted. Only one example of this word in Anglo-Saxon has
been found. It occurs in the ecclesiastical laws of King Canute, ap.
Wilkins, p. 133, 26, where, after describing the duties of Pastors of
the Church, the text proceeds : " thaet syndon bisceopas and msesse-
pivootas, the godcunde heorda bewarian and bewerian sceolan, mid
wislican laran, thaet se wodfreca were wulfto swithe ne slyte, ne to fela
ne abite of godcundre heorde," i. e. " Such are the bishops and priests,
who shall guard and defend the holy flock with their wise doctrine, that
the furious were-wolf may not too greatly tear or lacerate the members
of it." Here the term is applied to the Devil, not, as Wachter remarks,
" quod Diabolus sit lycanthropos, sed quod homines rapiat et occidat ; "
and the metaphor is evidently drawn from the story of the metamor-
phosis of a man into a wolf, and subsequent attacks on his own race.
The derivation from wer, or wera, a man, does not, as the author of
the Letter supposes, rest on slight authority. One glance at Lye, who
has nearly three columns filled with instances, would satisfy him in this
respect. It is the Gothic wair (Luke viii. 27, ix. 14), Su.-Goth. war,
Isl. ver, Teut. wer, Francic uuara, Celtic Gur, Gwr, or 7r, Irish fair,
fear, Latin wr, Barb. Lat. bar-o, Span, var-on, and French bar-on ; all of
which may be referred to a primitive root, expressive of existence. But
an unquestionable evidence in the case before us is that of Gervase of
Tilbury, who wrote in the reign of Henry II., when the Saxon language
had suffered no very material change, and who, assuredly, must be allowed
to know the meaning of his own maternal tongue. He writes thus :
" Vidimus enim frequenter in Anglia per lunationes homines in lupos
mutari, quod hominum genus Gerulfos Galli nominant, Angli vero
werewlf dicunt ; were enim Anglice virum sonat, wlf, Hpum." Otia Imp.
ap. Scriptt. Brunsv. p. 895. The modern French express the term by
loupgarou, concerning which it is truly said by Wachter, " rnire nugantur
eruditi." The sum of these nugce may be found collected in Menage,
and the Dictionnaire de Trevoux ; to which may be added the conjectures
noticed in the Godum Astronomico-Poeticum of Ccesius, p. 295. But the
etymology of the Saxon, Teutonic, and Suio-Gothic phrase will here
equally well apply. One of the Lays of Marie, an Anglo-Norman
poetess, who wrote about the middle of the thirteenth century, is
founded on a Breton fable of a werwolf, and she thus alludes to the ap-
pellation :
" Bisclaueret ad nun en Bretan,
Garwaf, 1'apelent li Norman ;
XXV11
ladis le poeit hume oir,
E souent suleit auenir,
Humes plusurs garual deuindrent,
E es boscages meisun tinclrent ;
Garualf cet beste saluage," &c.
MS. Harl. 978. f. 152. b. 1
Roquefort (who has taken some liberties in printing this passage) justly
observes, that the Norman Garvalf or Garwaf is derived from, and the
same with, the Saxon and Teutonic term. It may, indeed, have been
brought by the Normans from Scandinavia, for in Verelius I find
" Vargulfur, Brett. Str. \_BrettaStreinglekr Roberti Abbatis~\ Biselaretzli'od,
Lycantropos. Som loperwarg." Index Scytho-Scand. fol. 1691. WLeuce
lie has derived the second term, is not clear, nor is it elsewhere ex-
iplained, but it appears the same with the Bisclaveret of Marie (whose
writings could not have been known to Verelius), which is supposed by
Ritson, Metr. Rom. iii. 331, to be a corruption of Bleiz-garv, loup
.-sauvage, for which, in more modern times, the natives of Britanny used
Den-bleiz, homme-loup. See Rostrenen and Pelletier. Garv or Garo, is
explained in these writers, cipre, cruel, yet there is great reason to doubt
whether when coupled with bleiz it has not, like the Norman garou,
guaroul, been borrowed from a Gothic source. That loup is superfluous,
and that garou of itself expresses man-wolf is evident from the passages
in Gervase of Tilbury and Marie, and may be confirmed by the follow-
ing authorities. " Warou, loup-garou." Diet. Roman, Walon, &c. 4to.
Bouillon, 1777. " Warou, warous, warrou, Garou, espece de loup."
Roquefort. So, in a MS. Life of the Virgin, quoted by Charpentier, in
.his Supplement to Du Cange,
" De culuevre nous font anguile,
Aignel de Waroul & de leu."
And in the life of St Bernard, Opp. 2, p. 1288. " Transiens autem per
quandam villam audivit ab incolis ejusdem loci, duas feras immanissi-
inas, qua3 uuigo varol-i [appellebantur], in nemore proxime dessevire."
In the same manner the Scotch have formed their Wurl, Wroul, and
Worlin, as appears from Jamieson. Roquefort also gives us the term in
another shape, " Loup-beroux" but this again is nothing more than the
Teut. Bcerwolf, homo-lupus, from lar, vir, which is only a dialectical
variation of Wer. A similar instance of retaining a pleonastic interpret-
ation is presented in the word luke-warm, where warm is an adjunct of
no real utility, since luke means warm by itself, and was anciently so
used. For more minute details respecting the etymology here adopted,
the philologist is referred to Ihre, Wachter, Kilian, and Jamieson.
Mr Herbert has remarked, at p. 42 of his letter, that "among the
Erse or Gael of Erin, the notion of lycanthropy was prevalent ; we
1 In Thoms's " Lays and Legends," 1834, is a translation of this Lai dt
Bisclaveret.
XXV111
read of their voracious cannibalism on the ocular and undeniable tes-
timony of St Jerome, and another author pretends that a certain
Abbot in the district of Ossory had obtained from heaven a decree
that two persons of that district (a married couple) should every
seven years be compelled to leave the country in the shape of wolves,
but, at the end of those years, they might if yet living return to
their homes and native shape, and two other persons were condemned
in their place to the like penalty for another seven years. J. Brompton,
Chron. p. 1078." In the Latin Poem "de rebus Hibernie ad-
mirandis," of the 12th or 13th century, preserved in the Cotton MS.
Titus D. xxiv (and printed in the Reliquice Antiquce, ii. 103), are
some lines descriptive of the werwolf, from which we learn that at
that period there were men in Ireland who could change themselves
into wolves and worry sheep, leaving their real bodies behind them ;
and (as in the traditions of other countries), if they happened to be
wounded, the injury would also appear on their bodies. 1
Allusion is also made to a similar story in Malory's Morte
<? Arthurs, where mention is made of " Sir Marrok the good knyghte,
that was bitrayed with his wyf, for she made hym seuen yere a
wenvolf" Morte d'Arthure, lib. xix. c. xi. ; ed. Southey, ii. 385.
In the "Maister of Game," a treatise on Hunting, composed for
Henry the Fifth, then Prince (I quote from MS. Sloane 60), is the
following passage.
1 Sunt homines quidam Scottorum gentis habentes
Miram naturam, raajorum ab origine ductam,
Qua cito quando volunt ipsos se vertere possunt
Nequiter in formas lacerantum dente luporum,
TJnde videntur oves occidere s;cpe gementes ;
Sed cum clamor eos hominum, seu cursus eorum
Fustibus aut armis terret, fugiendo recurrunt.
Cum tamen hoc faciunt, sua corpora vera relinquunt,
Atque suis mandant ne quisquam moverit ilia.
Si sic eveniat, nee ad ilia redire valebunt.
Si quid eos Isedat, penetrent si vulnera quseque,
Vere in corporibus semper cernuntur eorum ;
Sic caro cruda hacrens in veri corporis ore
Cernitur a sociis, quod nos miramur et omnes. (Rel. Ant. ii. 105.)
Cf. Spenser, View of the State of Ireland, ed. Todd, p. 522 (Moxon, 1856) ; and
O'Brien, Round Towers of Ireland, p. 468.
INTRODUCTION TO " ALISAUNDER. XXIX
Speaking of the Wolf (foL 43)
"And somme ther ben ... that eten children and men, and eten
non other fleische from that tyme that thei hen acharmed with mannes
fleisch. For rather thei wolden he deed. And thai hen cleped
werewolves, for that men schulden he war of hem. 1 And thei hen so
cawtelous, that whenne thei sailen a man, thei haue an holding vppon
hem or the man se hem. And jit, if men se hem, thei wol come
vpon him gynnously, that he ne he take and slayn. For thei can
wonder wel kepe hem from any harneyse that any man hereth," &c. a
INTRODUCTION TO " ALISAUNDER."
1. THE fragment of the Romance of Alisaunder at the end of
this volume is now printed for the first time from MS. Greaves 60 (in
the Bodleian Library), where it was discovered by Sir Frederick
Madden. There are no less than four MSS. containing fragments in
1 An odd etymology ! This sentence is quoted by Halliwell, in his Dictionary
of Archaisms, s. v. A-charmed, from MS. Bodley, 546.
[ 2 It seems unnecessary to enter into further details concerning this curious
superstition ; for the reader may consult Mr Herbert's Letter (which is too diffuse
to be reprinted here) ; or, if that be not easily accessible, may refer to " The Book
of Were- wolves," by S. Baring-Gould, M. A., which the author defines as being " a
monograph on a peculiar form of popular superstition, prevalent among all nations,
and in all ages." The following references to a few of the most interesting pas-
sages may be useful. Herodotus, bk. iv. c. 105 (in which the Neurians are said to
change themselves into wolves once a year for a few days) .; Virgil, Eel. viii. 95-
99 ; Ovid, Met. i. 237 (where Lycaon, King of Arcadia, is changed by Jupiter into
a wolf) ; a story from fetronitts, quoted at length both by Herbert (p. 7), and
Baring-Gould (p. 11) ; Olaus Magnus, Historia de Gent. Septent. Basil, lib. xviii.
c. 45 ; Gervase of Tilbury, Otia Imperialia, Dec. i. c. 15, p. 895 ; Camden, Britan-
nia, vol. iv. p. 293, ed. 1806 ; King James L, Dsemonologie, L. iii. p. 125 ; &c. See
also Thorpe's Northern Mythology. In the present poem, the chief instrument of
Alphonse's re-transformation is a ring (1. 4424). The following quotation (which
I render into English from the German) may serve to illustrate this : " By help of
a magic girdle or ring men could change themselves and others into the forms of
beasts ; into wolves, bears, horses, cats, swans, geese, ravens, and crows. The most
notorious and perhaps the oldest of these changes is that into the Werwolf or loup-
garou. Even this might be classed amongst the instances of Rune-magic (Sunen-
zaubers), for runic characters may have been scratched upon the girdle or ring, or
magic formularies may have been repeated whilst putting it on." Karl Sim-
rock, Handbuch der Deutschen Mythologie ; Bonn, 1855 ; p. 537. The latter
method was the one adopted by Queen Brauudins (1. 4433). W. W. S.]
XXX INTRODUCTION TO " ALISAUNDER."
alliterative verse upon this subject, of which two are merely different
copies of the same poem. The four fragments are these : A, that
contained in MS. Greaves 60; B, that contained in MS. Bodley 264,
which relates to Alexander's visit to the Gymnosophists ; C, that in
MS. Ashmole 44 ; and D, a second copy of the same poem as C, in
MS. Dublin. D. 4. 12, beginning at a later place, and ending at
an earlier one. Of these, A, B, and C seem to be distinct from
each other, and by different authors, the last bearing traces of a
northern, the former two of a western dialect. The two latter are
printed at length in " The Alliterative Eomance [? Romances] of
Alexander," ed. Eev. J. Stevenson, printed for the Eoxburghe Club,
1849. They are, however, of different dates, for the Ashmolean
MS. can hardly be older than about A.D. 1450, and " there seems
no reason to conclude that the poem is anterior to the date of the
MS. from which it is printed," as Mr Stevenson justly observes.
Fragment B is probably older. It is bound up with the splendid
French MS. of Alexander, one of the chief treasures of the Bodleian
library. Sir F. Madden says of it, 1 that " the writing of this portion
is of the reign of Henry the Sixth, 2 nor is there any reason to
believe the poem itself very much earlier than the year 1400." It
treats at length of Alexander's visit to the Gymnosophists, and of the
letters that passed between him and Dindimus, " lord of Bragmanus
lond," a subject which is introduced much more briefly in Passus
xviii. of fragment C. But fragment A, which is now only found in
a copy evidently written in the sixteenth century (the original MS.
having been lost), is not only older than both these, but may fairly
claim to be the oldest existing specimen of English alliterative verse,
unmixed with rime, and of the usual type, since the Conquest. 3
This point is, moreover, easily ascertained in the manner following.
, 2. In the first place, it was conjectured by Sir F. Madden, from
internal evidence, that it was written by the author of William of
Palerne ; and nothing can be stronger than the internal evidence, if
1 See notes to Sir Gawayne,ed. Madden; Bannatyne Club, 1839 ; p. 304.
2 May it not be even a little earlier ?
3 Seinte Marherete, written before A.D. 1200 in a more negligent metre, is here
excepted.
INTRODUCTION TO " ALISAUNDER."
it be weighed with sufficient care. The resemblance in the language,
style, and method of versification is extraordinary ; there is the same
" run " upon certain words and phrases, and we even find (what we
should hardly have expected to find), lines almost identical in their
expression in the two poems. If we find in William of Palerne
(which poem I shall briefly denote by Wenvolf) the phrase,
" J>at Jjei nere semli serued & sette at here ri^ttes " (1. 4906),
we can match this from. Alisaunder, 1. 980, by the phrase,
" As soone as jjei were sett & serued too-rightes ; "
and it would be difficult to discover two lines more closely related
than are these :
" It betid in a time tidly thereafter " (Alia. 974), and,
"But jjanne tidde on a time * titly fer-after" (Werw. 1416).
But even such coincidences as these are less convincing than the
peculiar recurrence of certain phrases, such as to waite at a window
(see note to Alis. 1. 760), doluen and ded (see note to Alis. 1. 1026),
medtye ni$t (see note to Alis. 1. 817), liuand lud (see note to Alis. 1.
992), and the like ; and also the curious, yet evidently uninten-
tional, resemblance in such lines as,
" He wend to haue lau^t Jjat ladi loueli in armes "
(Werw. 671) ; and
" As that Ladie, with loue too lachen in armes " (Alis. 199) ;
or again, in
" But lete him in nis blisse & his burde alse,
& touche we ferre as J?is tale forjjeres" (Werw. 5396) ; and,
" But lete hem liue in lisse at oure lordes wille,
Of J>e rich emperour of rome redeliche to telle" ( Werw. 5466) ;
as compared with
" Now let wee j)is lued lengen in bliss,
And sithe myng wee more of j>is mery tale " (Alis. 44).
Indeed, it seems useless to adduce many further proofs ; for, if any
reader has any lingering doubts upon the subject, he may convince
himself by trying to rewrite a portion of the glossary ; for, in construct-
XXxli INTRODUCTION TO
ing this, the language of the poems is .at once found to be identical, as
far as the subject-matter permits it. It may be noted, too, that the
dialect is the same \ e. g. one curious characteristic of the " Werwolf"
is the plural imperative in -es, which reappears in 7cares=c&ie ye (Alis.
563), and in hairus = Jcaires = go ye (Alis. 6 2 3) ; also present participles
both in -and and -ing are found in both poems. 1 Assuming then that
these poems are by the same author and, consequently, that our
poet, known to us only by the name of William, has the credit of
being the earliest writer (as far as we know at present) in the usual
alliterative metre the question still remains, which poem did he
write first ? On this point I have, myself, no doubt, feeling sure that
the " Alisaunder " is the older poem. It is very curious to remark
how often it presents fuller inflexions and older forms, and this, too,
in spite of the fact that we have only a late sixteenth-century copy
of it, whilst of the other poem we have a MS. two centuries older.
Most noticeable among these are the infinitives in -en, such as lachen,
thinken, &c., and in many other cases we find -en where in the other
poem we more commonly find -e.' 2 The numerous cases where in the
" Alisaunder," the final -e is omitted, can be accounted for by the fact
of the MS. being a late copy. " And this is the right account to give ;
for the preservation of the -en ending shews that the final -e's should
have been preserved also. Besides this, the spelling of the MS. pre-
sents one very curious mark of antiquity, viz., the use of the letter
D or ft to represent Th or tli ; see note to 1. 33 on page 236. I know
of no instance of the use of this letter in a verse composition
1 A comparison of the metre of the poems affords a test of much suhtlety, and re-
quiring much care and patience. The details are tedious : I can only say here that
I have considered this, and believe their general structure of versification to he
identical, and to have, at the same time, some peculiarities that are not common to
all alliterative poems. They differ, e. g., from Pierf Plowman, though that too was
written by a William, and not long afterwards.
Hence also the reason for printing the two poems together, viz. because of
their common authorship, is at once apparent ; and both poems gain by it. The
language of the "Werwolf" is often well illustrated by that of the "Alisaunder,"
whilst, on the other hand, an editor can never be so well fitted to edit the latter
poem accurately as at a time when he happens to know hundreds of lines of the
former by heart.
2 The only instance of '- used as a prefix to a verb in the infinitive, occurs in
Alis. 1. 607.
INTRODUCTION TO " ALISAUNDER. XXX111
(excepting here) later than about A.D. 1300, in MS. C.C.C. 444,
containing the " Story of Genesis and Exodus," edited by Mr Morris
for the E. E. T. S. in 1865. There is yet another point which may
have some weight, viz., that our author must surely have produced
something of importance before he was selected by the Earl of Hereford
to translate a poem of such length as " Guillaume de Palerne ; " and
that something was really expected of him, from his known reputa-
tion, seems to be implied by his apology for himself and his versifi-
cation at the end of the latter work (Werwolf, 11. 55215526). If
this be thought likely, if his skill in translation was a known fact, it
may have been t^at his reputation was due to his "Alisaunder," as to
the length of which, in its original condition, we know nothing more
than this, viz., that the 1249 lines still preserved represent but a
very small fraction of the whole story.
3. It is necessary to describe the MS. Greaves 60 somewhat
further. It is a small and shabby-looking MS., about 8 in. by 6,
apparently bought to be used as a note-book or exercise-book, as it
contains notes upon Virgil's ^Eneid, Terence's Andria, &c. ; and the
English romance was afterwards copied out wherever there was a
blank space for it, which accounts for there being only three lines of the
text on fol. 7. The English occupies fol. 1 b 6 a, part of fol. 7, fol.
7b8l,M. lla, partoffol. 115, fol. 12a 16 a, fol. 165 20a (which
portion is scored at the side, as being out of place), and fol. 21 a 24 1).
The last two portions require to be transposed, and then 20 a comes
last, fol. 206 being blank. Even when this is done, a portion is lost
between fol. 24 & and fol. 166 (which I have supplied from a Erench
prose text), and another portion (probably a large one) is lost at the
end. On the fly-leaf is, besides other things, " Ye schoole of Khetorik,
or Ye skyll too speake well : deuised and made by H. G." This and
a title about a " compendium of Virgil's ^Eneid,"* are scratched
through, and the following written below in the same hand
"Badulphws de Sto Albano eiusdem fani Albani monaclms et Abbas ex
porapeio, Trogo, Origine, Josepho, Isidore, Beda, et alijs hanc historian!
de Eebws gestis Alexandri Macedonis edidit; obijt anno domini
MCLI, in eodera coenobio sepult?^, sub stephano Anglorura rege.
Balaews." Assuming, for convenience, that H. Gr. are the scribe's own
INTRODUCTION TO
initials, we see that H. G. has merely copied the above title from Bale,,
and that there is not any necessary connection betweenit and the poem
which he partly copied out. Nevertheless, the clue was worth fol-
lowing up, and I found that a MS. in Corpus Christi College, Cam-
bridge, No. 219, has for its title " Incipit hystoria regis Macedonum,.
Philippi filiiqwe eitis Alexandri Magni excepta (sic) de libnV
pompeii, trogi, orosii, iosephi, ieronimi, solini, augustini, bede, &
ysodori." It is a Latin MS., beautifully written in a hand of the-
fourteenth century, containing the history of Alexander in four books,,
and followed by the letters of Alexander to Dindimus, and of Dindimus
to Alexander. That our poet made use of this compilation is very
probable; he says (Alls. 1. 458) that he translates from Latin books,
and the principal of these seem to have been, (1) the compilation of
Eadulphus ; (2) the history of Orosius ; and (3) the " Historia Alex-
andri de prcdiis" The two former supplied him with the more his-
torical part of his story, such as the particulars about Eurydice,
Philip, Byzantium, &c. ; the latter supplied him with the legendary
portion. He seems to have considered them all equally veritable,
and to have turned from one to the other at pleasure, as I have
pointed out in the notes. Of the various Latin forms of the legend,
the "Historia de prceliis" as it may conveniently be called for dis-
tinctness, 1 is evidently the one he has most closely followed. It is
also evident that the writer of the poem preserved in MS. Ashmole
44 followed the very same original, and it is interesting to com-
pare the two translations, and to observe how far the exigencies of
the metre have caused them to vary. Returning to " H. G." after
this digression, a few remarks must be made upon his method of
copying the poem. He seems to have done it upon the whole very
carefully, though he has sometimes misread his original (writing
kipen for ktyen, ferkerd for ferked, and the like), and, in particular,,
has left out a large number of the final -e's, besides occasionally omit-
ting whole lines. In several cases, he has modernized or modified
the spelling, and in many instances has given us both the forms, as,
e. g. in 1. 767, where we have liche with ke over the che, thus rightly
1 It may be known by the initial words " Sapiewtissimi egiptii scientes-
mewsuram terre," &c. I have used the printed copy of 1490.
INTRODUCTION TO " ALISAUNDER.'
XXXV
explaining liche as meaning like. All the variations of importance
are noticed in the foot-notes. The handwriting is peculiar, but not
uncertain, though he at times used a straight horizontal stroke like a
hyphen to denote an m or an n, joining it on to the letter following.
Over many of the long vowels he has made a circumflex, writing
"soule" in 1. 41, "fone" in 1. 83, "gc A )se" in 1. 409. As this seemed
to be a mere freak of his own (for it is sometimes wrongly introduced),
I have not noticed it. The only other point of interest is that he
marked all the harder words by underscoring them, evidently with
the view of finding out their meaning. The list of these has some-
importance, for we may conclude that such words were so far obsolete
about the time of James I. as to be unintelligible to a man interested
in our older literature. It is on this account that I subjoin the list,
in alphabetical order, referring the reader to the Glossarial Index for
further information. It is as follows, omitting a few which seem to
have been marked for some other reason. Alosed, Bed, Bent (1. 219),
Beurde, Chees, Cofly, Deraine, Derie, Fete, Fode, Fonde, Frotus,
Gamus (read Gainus,) Gist, Gome, Graithes, Grathly, Gremjpe, Hende t
Hendely, Hote, Ki\>e, Kith, Lache, Laught or Laulit, Lelich, Mensk-
full, Of-soulite, Pris, Purlich, Queme, Rigge, Rink or Renk, JRode,
Segges, Spedly, StigJitlich, Swtye, Trie, To-rilites, \)ristliclie, firoliche,
Ungome, Watte, Wowes, Wus, Teeme. Nearly all of these were cer-
tainly as unintelligible to most men two hundred and fifty years ago-
as they are now, though some may exist in provincial dialects.
Several of them may have been unintelligible even a century earlier.
4. THE STORY OF " ALISAUNDER."
The contents of the fragment may be briefly described thus. It
commences with a mention of Amyntas, and his sons Alexander and
Philip. Philip ascends the throne of Macedonia, conquers Larissa
and Thessalonica, weds Olympias, sister of the King of Molossis,
takes Methone, and helps the Thebans against the Phocians ; all of
which is from Radulphus, Orosius, and like sources. This portion
includes 11. 1 451. Then begins the legend, from the " Historia de
preliis," occupying the portion in 11. 452 899 ; and telling how
Nectanabus, King of Egypt, fled in disguise from his own country
XXXVi INTRODUCTION TO " ALISAUNDER."
for fear of the Persians, and, coming to Macedonia, beguiled Queen
Olympias by his magic arts, and, personating the god Ammon, 1 be-
came the father of Alexander. He also appeared before Philip's
army in the guise of a dragon, and, fighting for him, greatly discom-
fited the Lacedaemonians and Phocians. Next, after an historical
account (11. 900 954) of the occupation of the Pass of Thermopylae
by the Athenians, and of Philip's treachery and cruelty towards the
Thebans, we return to the legend (11. 955 1201) and learn how
Philip greeted Olympias, how Nectanabus appeared once more as a
dragon at a feast given by Philip, and how Philip was one day sur-
prised to find that a bird had laid an egg in 'his lap, out of which
issued a serpent which, after awhile, tried to re-enter the egg-shell,
but died before it could do so ; an omen that Alexander would, die
before he could return to his own land. Next Alexander is born,
and carefully educated. One evening he goes out with Nectanabus to
view the stars, and, hearing the magician say that he feared he would
die by the hand of his own son, drowns him in a ditch to prove him
a liar; but the drowning man cries out that he has told the truth.
Next follows the story of the taming of Bucephalus, which bears
some points of resemblance to the story of the taming of King
Ebrouns' horse by William of Palerne (see p. 107). In the last
paragraph the poet returns to historical details, and begins to narrate
the siege of Byzantium by Philip, at which point the poem abruptly
ends.
5. This is not the place to discuss the long and difficult ques-
tion of the " Alexander Eomances." Roughly speaking, the form of
the story here adopted I speak of the legendary portion is derived
from the Greek text known as the Pseudo-calUsthenes, of which the
best MS. is the one now numbered 1711 in the Imperial Library at
Paris, beginning <l Ol cro^^Taroi. AiyuTrnoi 6ewv diroyovoi, K.T.\. " J
but I have referred in the notes to another MS. (Supplem. No. 113)
in the same collection, as a portion of this latter one has been printed. 1
1 " A dragon's fiery form belied the god ;
Sublime on radiant spires he rode,
When he to fair Olympia prest," &c.
Dry den ; Alexander's Feast.
1 See notice on p. 236.
THE DIALECT OF THE POEMS. XXXY11
'The three principal Latin versions hence derived are (1) that by
Julius Valerius ; (2) the " Itinerariurn Alexandri " (relating to Alex-
ander's wars) ; and (3) that by the Archpresbyter Leo, which is also
known as the " Historia de preliis." With the second of these we
have here nothing to do. The first begins " ^gypti sapientes, sati
genere divino," &c. ; the third begins " Sapientissirni Egyptii,
scientes mensuram terrse," &c. The portion supplied to complete the
story at p. 209 is from a French version, as contained in MS. 7517
in the Imperial library. I have already said that our text follows
the third rather than i\iQ first of these Latin versions.
For further information, see Zacher, Pseudo-callisthenes, Halle,
1867 ; the editions of Julius Valerius by Angelo Mai (Milan, 1817),
and Karl Muller (Paris, 1846) ; the Old High German version edited
by H. Weismann (Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1850), the second volume
-of which, in particular, contains much information ; the introduction
to Kyng Alisaunder in Weber's Metrical Romances, &c. The edition
called " Li Romans d'Alixandre, par Lambert li Tors et Alixandre
de Bernay," ed. H. Michelant, and published by the Literary Society
of Stuttgart in 1846, has not much to do with our present poem, as
it declares JSTectanabus not to have been Alexander's father. I have
already enumerated the alliterative romances extant in English.
Besides these there are, in rimed metre, the " Kyng Alysaunder"
printed by Weber, and other poems referring, not to the infancy of
Alexander, but to his acts and death, such as, e. g., " The Buik of
the most noble and vailzeand Conquerour Alexander the Great,"
printed at Edinburgh for the Bannatyne Club in 1831, being a reprint
from The Romaunce of Alexander, containing the Forray of Gad-
deris, first printed at the same place by A. Arbuthnot in 1580.
There is also a fragment about the death of Alexander in "Ancient
Metrical Romances from the Auchinleck MS."; Abbotsford Club,
1836 ; and there may be others, for I have not thought it necessary
to make further search.
6. ON THE DIALECT OF THE POEMS.
The spelling of the "Alisaunder" being uncertain owing to the
lateness of the MS., it is not necessary to say more about its dialect
XXXviii THE DIALECT OF THE POEMS.
than has been said already. The following remarks refer, therefore,,
to the "Werwolf." 1
The plurals of nouns generally end in -es, but there are several
plurals in -us, such as dedus; in -is, as bestis (1. 181), and tdlis ; in
-ys, as buschys (21) ; in -en, as stepchilderen, eiyyen (eyne, eyes) ; and
even in -esse, as bodiesse, lordesse (4539), hei^resse (4778), with
which should be compared the curious spelling antresse for antres or
aunteres = she ventures. The plural of hors is the same as the sin-
gular ; the plural of fo is "both/on (ox f one) and/os. Also ken, ldn r
and Tcyn occur for Tcine. The genitive singular ends commonly in -es,
but sometimes in -is, as in godis (266), goddis (254) ; cf. goddes
(340). We also find the genitive forms fader, moder, doubter,
William, Marie, sonne.
As regards adjectives, we may note the comparatives herre, nerre
(higher, nearer), and the superlatives frelokest and manlokest, the
former of which is used adverbially. The endings -ly and -liche are
used both for adverbs and adjectives, and without any distinction.
Eche a is used for each; selue sometimes has the sense of very
(1149) ; whilst wiche a answers to the German was fur, what sort of
a, as in 1. 3354. ]5e and j>a are used sometimes for \at ; tyis as well
as fyise is used to mean these ; ]>o to mean those; \ilk& is used in the
plural, and swiclie is used to mean such. For /, the forms are i, y,
ich ; for thou, we have ]pou, ]>ow, ]>ouj ; pi. 30 in the nominative,
3020, 301*3, ow (1. 106) in the dat. and accusative. The third personal
pronoun is he, gen. his, is, or hise ; dat. and ace. hym, him : feminine,
sche, che, $he (and hue in the " Alisaunder ") ; gen. dat. and ace. her,
hir, here, hire ; neuter, hit, it ; ace. hit, it. Plural nom. Tpei, ]>ai,
\ey ; gen. here, her ; dat. liem (and once Ipaim) ; ace. hem. Min is a
possessive pronoun, as min hert, min avowe. The pronoun of the
second person is often joined on to the verb, as in artow, Jcnowestoiu,
bestow, seidestow, schaltow or schalstow, findestow, ivitow or wittow ;
1 I apologize for the slip-shod name here given to the poem, and which is here,
and elsewhere throughout the volume, used for brevity's sake, and because it cannot
be mistaken. It is an abbreviation of " William and the Werwolf," the title used,
by Sir F. Madden in the former edition. Strictly, however, the true title is
William of Palerne.
THE DIALECT OF THE POEMS. XXXIX
and often also to the word \at, as \cdou or \atow. Ho is used for
who, ho-so for who-so, wlios for whose, wham for whom.
But the most noticeable and distinctive endings are found amongst
the verbs, and I pass on to them as being of more interest. The in-
finitive ends in -en or -e, but occasionally also in -y or -ye, as deseuy,
wonye; cf. derie in Alls. 1240. In the present tense, 2nd person, we
iind both-es and-es; the former occurring frequently, as in lcu]>est (603),
Jcomest (330) ; examples of the latter are trestes (970), Imoices (1174).
'They seem to be used indifferently, for tellest and trestes occur in the
same line, and hast in 1. 604 is followed by ]>ow has two lines lower.
In the same way, we find grettes and mensTcfulles written for grettest
and mensTif attest, showing that the pronunciation of the t was very
slight. Besides which, the vowel may have been pronounced thickly
or indistinctly, thus accounting for such a form as clepus (249). In
the 3rd person singular, we find -es, as in lenges (961) ; -is, as in hentis
(907) ; and -us, as in sittus (446) ; as well as -e\, as in Tsiwwfy (559).
In the 3rd person pi. we have -un, as in clepun ; -en, as in \urlen ; -e,
as in singe ; -us, as in tellus (198) ; -es, as in calles (239), longes
{360). The following are examples of the past tense singular ; strong
verbs, gaf, $ald, founde, sei^e, lad, dede, horn, rod, lep, aros, &c. ;
weak verbs, grette, lerde, pleide, clipte, praide, clepud, &c. The
plural generally ends in -en or -e, but the -e is occasionally dropped.
Examples are blesseden, gretten, sewede, come, told (1366). But we
.should especially observe the endings of the imperative mood plural,
which besides the ending -eth, as in preieth (164), sende]) (2068),
wite\> (2069), troiue]> (2112), frequently takes the ending -es, as in
listenes, gretes, mornes, standes, awakes, fodes, leses, leues, &c. It is
worth notice, further, that the very same word takes both forms ; for
we find both preieth and prei^es (which, however, is written prei^ed,
5529), listenes and lustenefy, and gretes in 1. 355 is followed by gretefy
in 1. 35 9. ! We should also especially note the forms of the present
participle, which ends in -and, as deland, wepand, glimerand, Hand,
ligand, Jourande, liuand ; in -end , as touchend, henend, lastend, slepend,
hotend, braundissende ; occasionally in -inde, as lorfctnde, efldnde,
1 So also lenfyes, 4348 ; leng)pe)p, 4353.
x ] THE DIALECT OF THE POEMS.
gapind; and sometimes in -ing. Here again, the same word takes all
the forms ; for we find sikande, &ikand, sikende, sikinde, and siking.
The more usual form seems to be in -and, "but the pronunciation of
the a seems to have been obscure, and we may consider the usual
ending to be 'nd ; for if we throw the accent on the first syllable, it
is not easy to enunciate the unaccented vowel very clearly. Examples
of past participles are slawe, side, slayn, schapen, bi-hold, portreide,
gladed, maked, take, arise (1297), lore (1360), lore, seie, sei^en,
y-charged, y-clepud. The ending -e in the infinitive is sometimes
dropped. For the forms of the auxiliary and anomalous verbs, see
the glossary; s.v. Ben, Can, Dar, Mot, Mow, Out, Sclial, Thort,
Wite, WoL Here also numerous forms occur ; e. g. the present
plural of to be is ben, bene, bu]>, arn, and aren.
The word tie often coalesces with the verb following ; hence nis
(ne is), nas (ne was), nere (ne were), natli (ne hath), nadde (ne
hadde), nel (ne wil), nold (ne wold), not (ne wot), nist (ne wist).
A few peculiarities of spelling may be noted. The sh sound is
denoted both by sch and ch ; hence cliamly, chold, cliortly, are put
for scliamly, sclwld, schortly. Also scheche is written for seche. C
sometimes takes the place of s, as in piece, sece, wice. Wli is written
for w, as in wliar (were), and widens. Th is sometimes used where
we should expect t, as in the Romans of Partenay ; thus wtythli is
put for wi$tli, mi$th is used to mean (7) might. V is sometimes
found for a final u, as in nov, hov, inov. H occurs at the beginning
of words where it should not, as in hordere, hende (end), held (eld,
old age). JVis prefixed to ei$, ones, o\er, &c., thus forming nei$, nones,
no^er, in places where it really belongs to the word preceding. ])e is
joined sometimes to the word following, as in femperour, \er\e, \ende.
For the careful and exact manner (exact, probably, because the scribe
did it without thinking and as a matter of course), in which nay is
distinguished from no, and ^e from $is, see the Glossarial Index. For
the distinction between \ou and $e, see p. xli.
In what part of England, then, was the poem written 1 The
forms seem to be mainly West Midland, with admixture both of
Northern and of Southern ones. The frequency of the imperatives
in -es, and other indications, lead Mr Morris to call it a specimen of
DISTINCTION BETWEEN " THOU " AND " YE." xli
Shropshire dialect, 1 whilst Sir F. Madden subscribes to the opinion of
Bryant, that it may belong to Gloucestershire ; and, indeed, Gloucester
is the only place which is mentioned in it. There is also, perhaps,
some significance in the fact that the MS. contains, besides " William
of Palerne," some poems that have been attributed to Robert of
Gloucester. In either case, we are sure of the locality within the
compass of a county or two, and may, I think, call it West Midland
without error, though the exact border between the West Midland and
Southern cannot be expected to be very clearly denned. It may be
remarked that both Gloucester and Wheatenhurst (where Sir Hum-
phrey de Bohun's mansion was situated) lie close to the important
river Severn, and it is possible that the dialect of that part of
Gloucestershire may have been affected by that circumstance, just as
we often trace the influence of the Danish element near our sea-coasts.
The real difficulty consists in this, that it is hard to account for the
use of the Northumbrian plural-ending -es at a place situated so far
to the South. A comparison of the vocabulary with the glossary of
Shropshire words in Hartshorne's Salopia Antigua shewed less re-
semblance than I had expected to find ; yet it may be useful to men-
tion that his list contains (and sometimes illustrates) the following
words in particular, viz. : Bell (vb.), Chall (= Chaul), Clip, Clout,
Cratch, Delue, Dever, Earn (Erne), Gain (cf. Gaynest), Haws,
Heps (Hepus), Hye (to hasten), Lap (vb.), Learn (to teach),
Litherly (Lifyerly), Mase, Pill (vb.), Rin, Shows, Sike, Stive, Thirl,
Twinne, War.
7. ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN " THOU " AND "YE."
The distinction between the use of thou and ye (with their ac-
companying singular and plural verbs) is so well kept up throughout
1 Compare Audelay's poems (in the Shropshire dialect), ed. J. 0. Halliwell, for
the Percy Society. It may be said that, if the scribe of "William of Palerne"
lived in Gloucestershire, he may yet have been a Shropshire man ; but this argu-
ment loses in force if it has to be often appealed to in cases of difficulty. We must
first try to reconcile the evidence we possess, before rejecting any portion of it. In
the present instance, the MS. is a very good one. It may be confidently expected,
however, that something tolerably definite may be known about English dialects at
no very distant period, and the present question may be then more easily decided.
Xlii DISTINCTION BETWEEN ' THOU " AND "YE."
these poems that it would not be well to lose so good an opportunity
of pointing it out. It was one of those niceties of speech which it
was the poet's especial business to observe. The clearest way of
pointing out the distinction is to tabulate the best examples of it.
P. 13. The child, addressing the emperor, uses ye, you, &c.
P. 14. Emperor to child tlwu ; child to his (supposed) father ye;
emperor to cowherd thou. P. 16. Cowherd to child thou. P. 29.
Alexandrine to Melior ye; Melior to Alexandrine thou. P. 30.
Melior to William thou. Pp. 37 39. Alexandrine to William,
and William to Alexandrine thou. P. 43. William to emperor, and
lords to emperor ye. P. 50. Messengers to Melior ye. P. 57.
Melior to William, after betrothal ye. P. 73. One emperor to
another thou. P. 80. Melior to William, in excitement thou. P.
81. Melior to William, in submission ye. P. 92. Melior to
William, after escaping peril thou. P. 96. Priest to queen ye.
P. 104. Queen to her handmaid thou; handmaid to queen ye.
P. 105. Queen to William, begins with ye in the conventional phrase
" }e me saye," but otherwise uses thou, until she has virtually abdi-
cated in William's favour, after which she uses ye, p. 113, and espe-
cially note 11. 3954,3955. P. 126. William, now of high rank, to
his prisoner, a king thou. P. 129. The captive king to the queen
-ye. P. 134. King to William (asking) ye ; William to the king
{granting) thou. P. 136. Messengers to the Queen of Spain ye;
but in relating William 's message, containing rebukes and violent
threats, they change to thou. P. 142. Queen to her step-son thou;
but in putting a polite question 30 (1. 4460). P. 144. Alphouns
to William, uses the conventional phrase " crist mot $ou saue " but
otherwise uses thou. He is answered by William with ye, expressing
the utmost deference, and asking him who he is. This is sufficient to
show that thou is the language of a lord to a servant, of an equal to
an equal, and expresses also companionship, love, permission, defi-
ance, scorn, threatening ; whilst ye is the language of a servant to a
lord, and of compliment, and further expresses honour, submission,
entreaty. Thou is used with singular verbs, and the possessive
pronoun thine ; but ye requires plural verbs, and the possessive your.
In the " Alisaunder " we find the same usages. The Prince of Persia
DISTINCTION BETWEEN " THOU " AND " YE." xllii
calls the King of Egypt ye ; the king scornfully replies with thou.
The same Kectanabus, who " speaks lordly," and is too proud k> call
Queen Olympias Madam, and will only call her Lady, audaciously
addresses her as thou, but there are in one or two places exceptions
which shew a corruptness in the text. She replies with thou, as a
lady should who would preserve her dignity. As for Alexander, he
coolly uses thou to everybody, and especially to his father, 1. 1198,
and his mother, 1. 1103. Besides the insight we thus get into our
forefathers' ways of speech, this investigation may serve to remind us
editors that we are not to mistake you for tyou, as in some MSS. is
easily done, and that the frequent interchange of the forms is the re-
sult, not of confusion, but of design and orderly use.
In the present edition, every variation of spelling has had its
own references assigned to it in the Glossary, at the cost of no small
amount of labour ; I hope this may prove of use to the student of
our old English orthoepy.
ADDITIONAL REMARKS.
SINCE 'William of Palerne' was printed in 1867, the whole of
the French poem, mentioned at p. iii, 3, has been edited by M.
Michelant, and can now be compared with the English version.
This edition was printed for the Societe des Anciens Textes
Fran<?ais; Paris, 1876. The French Romance was originally written
between 1188 and 1227, and contains 9600 lines. The MS. is in
the Arsenal library at Paris (Belles Lettres, no. 178).
See also 'Sprache und Dialekt des mittelenglischen Gedichtes
William of Palerne,' by Dr. A. Schiiddekopf, Erlangen, 1886 ; Eo-
senthal's remarks on Alliterative Poetry in Anglia, i. 414 ; and the
comparison of the French and English versions of the poem by M.
Kaluca, in Englische Studien, iv. 197.
In my preface to ' Alexander and Dindimus,' p. xi, I have shewn
that it has been proved by Dr. Trautmann that my former view as
to the authorship of the fragment of Alisaunder, printed in the
present volume, is incorrect. The * Alisaunder ' fragment is not by
the same author as William of Palerne ; whilst, on the other hand,
it is by the same author as the fragment called 'Alexander and
Dindimus.' See further in the same preface.
COREECTIONS AND EMEXDATIOXS.
Page xxix. See also Werwolf in fares' Glossary, and the
numerous references to lycanthropia in Burton, Anatomy of Melan-
choly, Part I, sect. 1, mem. 1, subsect. 4.
P. 42, 1. 1069. Dr. Morris points out that ouergart occurs as a
substantive, meaning arrogance, in Seinte Marharete, ed. Cockayne,
ADDITIONAL REMARKS.
p. 1C, 1. 13. See also Castle of Love, ed. Weymouth, 1. 993, and
Ormulura, 1. 8163. Oucr-gart also occurs as an adjective, meaning
arrogant or overweening. "For tho God seih that the world was so
over-gart" i. e. for when God saw that the world was so over-
weening; Political Songs, ed. Wright, p. 341, 1. 391. Hence ouer-
gart gret may well mean overweeningly or excessively great, very
large. See Mr. Cockayne's note at p. 106 of Seinte Marharete.
P. 84, 1. 2520. Mr. Wedgwood explains cayreden by turned,
i. e. charred, and thinks that we here have the etymology of to char.
But cayreden cannot well mean charred in this passage, but only
' carried.' The use of cay r en for carien, to carry, is curious, but not
without authority. See P. Plowman, B. ii. 161, where most MSS.
have fatiren, but two MSS. have carien; and all the MSS. have
carien in the same, A. ii. 132.
P. 169; lines 5346, 5347, 5348 of William of Palerne rime
together. This was, no doubt, unintentional.
In 1. 396 of Alisaunder, the reading hem is necessary to the
alliteration.
GLOSSARY.
Halde. Add pp. hold, 902, 2006, 3243, 5242 ; holden, t217.
Half. Add behalf, 4831 ; pi. balnea, sides, t344.
Hap. Add pi. happes, tl07, t385.
After Haue add Hauntes, pr. s. F. practices, t815.
Malskrid. We find also, in the very old glossary (8th century)
printed in Wright's Vocabularies, vol. ii, p. 108, the entry
* Fescinatio, malscrung ' ; where Fescinatio appears -to be an
error for fascinatio, a bewitching.
By an unfortunate mistake on my part, the following notes by
Sir F. Madden reached me too late for insertion in the Glossary.
" Nones. See Glossarial Remarks on La$amon, v. 17304, voL iii.
p. 492 ; and the Glossary to Syr Gawayne, in v. Nonez.
"Peter. See the Glossary to Syr Gawayne, in v. Peter, where
other instances are given."
im jof f alcrw ;
or
sift % rtarlf.
[Three leaves being lost at the beginning of the MS., their place is here sup-
plied from the French Text.]
[Nus ne se doit celer ne taire,
sil set chose qui dole plaire,
kil ne le desponde en apert ;
car bien repont son sens et pert,
qui nel despont apertement
en la presence de la gent.
por ce ne voel mon sens repondre,
que tot li mauvais puissent fondre ;
et cil qui me vaurront entendre,
i puissent sens et bien aprendre. 10
car sens celes qui nest ois,
est autresi, ce mest avis,
com maint tresor enferme sont,
qui nului bien ne preu ne font ;
tant comme il soient si enclos,
autresi est de sens repos ;
por ce ne voel le mien celer.
ancois me plaist a raconter
selonc mon sens et mon memoire,
le fait dune anciene estoire, 20
[No one should keep it to himself or be
silent,
If he knows something that will plaase,
But should declare it openly;
For he hides and loses his knowledge
Who does not declare it openly.
In the presence of people
Wherefore I will not hide my knowledge
That all the wicked may come to naught :
And that those who would fain hear me
May be able to learn knowledge and what
is good.
For knowledge hidden and unheard
Is just like, in my opinion.
Many treasures that are shut up.
Which do good or advantage to no one ;
Just as they are when thus enclosed,
So is it with concealed knowledge;
Wherefore I will not conceal mine.
Thus it pleases me to recount
According to my knowledge and memory
The event of an ancient story.
KING EMBRONS HAD A SON NAMED WILLIAM.
qui en Puille jadis avint
a .i. roi qui la terre tint.
Li rois embrons fu apeles ;
mult par fu grans sa poestes ;
bien tint em pais sa region,
et mult par fu de grant renon.
moilher avoit gente roine,
gentix dame de franche orine ;
et fille a riche empereor,
qui de Gresse tenoit lounor. 30
Felise avoit a non la dame ;
mult fu amee en son roiame.
navoient cun tot seul enfant,
petit tousel, ne gaires grant,
de .iiii. ans ert li damoisiax,
qui a merveilles estoit biax.
Guilliaumes ot lenfes a non,
mais la roine tout par non
lot a .ii. dames commande,
quele amena de son regne. 40
Gloriande est lune noumee,
Acelone ert lautre apelee.
celes le commande a garder,
a enseignier et doctriner,
moustrer et enseignier la loi,
comme on doit faire fil a roi.
en eles sest asseuree,
mais traie est et enganee,
et deceue laidement ;
mult porres bien oir comment. 50
T i rois Embrons .i. frere avoit,
H a cui li regnes escaoit ;
et cil douna tant et promist,
et tant porchaca et tant fist
as gardes qui lenfant gardoient,
que dit li ont quil locirroient,
That happened once in Apulia
To a king who ruled the land.
The king was named Embrons ;
Very exceeding great was his power;
He governed well his country in peace,
And was of exceeding great renown.
He had to wife a beauteous queen,
A gracious dame of noble origin ;
And who was daughter to a rich emperor,
Who ruled the dominion of Greece.
i'elice was the lady's name ;
She was much loved in her kingdom.
They had but one only child,
A little lad, not very tall.
The prince was four years old,
And was marvellously fair.
William was the child's name,
But the queen very specially (?)
Has entrusted him to two ladies
Whom she brought from her own country.
One is named Gloriande.
The other was called Acelone.
To these she entrusts him, to keep him,
To teach and instruct him,
To shew and instruct him the law.
As one ought to teach a king's son.
In them she confided.
But was betrayed and defrauded
And deceived shamefully ;
You shall very soon hear how.
King Embrons had one brother,
To whom the kingdom would fall ;
And he bribed and promised so much.
And so contrived and managed
With the guardians who kept the child,
That they have told him they would kill it.
A WERWOLF MAKES OFF WITH WILLIAM.
et le roi meisme ensement.
ja ont porquis lenherbement
dont il andoi mort recevront,
se Diex nel fait, li rois del mont. eo
TT^n Palerne orent sejorne,
*-* un mois entier en la cite,
entre le roi et la roine.
desous le maistre tor marbrine,
ot .i. vergier merveilles gent,
tot clos de mur et de cyment ;
si ot mainte sauvage beste.
.i. jor par line haute feste
i viiit esbanoier li rois,
si chevalier et si borjois ; 70
et maint baron i ot venu,
la roine meisme i fu.
celes qui lenfant ont en garde,
(cui male flambe et maus fus arde !)
lont mene avoec lautre gent ;
mais por ce ne le font noient
que sel seussent la dolour,
qui de lenfant avint le jor.
Par le vergier li rois ombroie,
et la roine, a mult grant joie. 80
mais ne sevent com lor grans dex
lor est presens devant lor ex.
lenfes florietes va cuellant,
de lune a lautre va jouant.
atant esgardent la ramee,
saut un grans leus, goule baee,
a fendant vient comme tempeste ;
tuit se destornent por la beste ;
devant le roi, demainement,
son fil travers sa goule prent, . so
fttant sen va ; mais la criee
fu apres lui mult tost levee.
1*
And the king himself at the same time.
They have already provided the poison
From which they will toth receive death,
If God, king of the world, permits it.
In Palermo they have dwelt,
A whole month in the city,
With the king and the queen.
Beneath the chief marble tower
Was an orchard wondrously fair,
All enclosed with walls and mortar ;
There was many a wild beast there.
One day, on a high festival,
The king came there to divert himself.
His chevaliers and his burgesses ;
And many a baron had come there,
The queen herself was there.
Those who have the child in charge,
(Whom evil flame and evil fire burn !)
Have brought him along with the rest ;
But they would have done nothing of the
kind.
Had they but known the sorrow
That happened that day because of the
child.
In the orchard the king shades himseil,
And the queen, wtyh very great joy.
But they know not how their great grief
Is present to them, before their eyes.
The child goes gathering flowers,
And playing from one to the other.
Just then they look at the bushes,
A huge wolf, with mouth open, leaps in,
Comes in at the opening like a tempest;
All turn aside to avoid the beast ;
Before the king, noiselessly,
He takes his son across his mouth,
And then makes off; but the cry
Was very soon raised after him.
THE WERWOLF IS PURSUED, BUT NOT CAUGHT.
lievo li dels, lieve li cris
del fil le roi qui est trais.
la roine souvent sescrie,
" aidies, aidies, Sainte Marie !
maisnie au roi, que faites vos ?
ja me morrai sil nest rescous ! "
Li rois demande ses chevax,
et fait monter tous ses vassax. 100
toute la vile si esmuet,
cascuns i keurt plus tost quil puet.
li rois le siut a esperon,
le gart acaingnent environ ;
mais li leus ert fors saillis,
a la campaigne sestoit mis ;
lenfes souvent sescrie eVbrait,
li rois lentent qui apres vait.
garde sel voit monter .i. mont,
de tost aler sa gent semont, no
donques se par efforcent tuit,
li leus a tout lenfant sen fuit.
fuit sen li leus, et cil apres,
qui del ataindre sont engres.
desi au far le vont chacant,
il saut en leve a tout lenfant.
le far trespasse, perdus lont
li rois et cil qui o lui sont ;
ensi sen va en tel maniere
a tout lenfant la beste fiere. 120
li rois arriere sen retorne,
mult a le euer et triste et morno,
de -son enfant qua si perdu ;
a la cite sont revenu.
T a roine maine tel duel,
-*-* morte voudroit estre, son vuel ;
pleure sovent, et crie, et brait,
a la beste son til retrait.
The plaint arises, the cry arises
Of the son of the king that is borne away.
The queen oftentimes exclaims,
" Aid me, aid me, Holy Mary !
Ye household of the king, what do ye ?
Now I shall die if he he not rescued ! "
The king calls for his horses,
And makes all his vassals mount.
All the town is in commotion,
Every one runs as quickly as he can.
The king follows the wolf on the spur,
Watches him, encircling (him) around.
But the wolf had leapt far away,
And betaken himself to the plain ;
The child oft cries out and wails;
The king, who goes after him, hears him.
Ho looks and sees him mount a hill,
Summons his men to come quickly.
Then all hasten on very fast,
The wolf flees away with the child.
The wolf flees away, and they alter him,
Who are very desirous of reaching him.
Unto the Far [Straits of Messina] they chase
him,
He leaps into the water with the child.
He crosses the Far, they have lost him.
The king and they who are with him ;
Thus in such a manner, flees away
The wild beast with the child.
The king returns back, .
Very sorrowful and sad at heart,
For his child whom he has lost ;
To the city have all returned.
The queen makes such a mournhiK,
She would fain be dead, had she her will ;
She weeps often, and cries and wails,
And demand} back her child from the beast.
THE QUEEN S LAMENT FOR WILLIAM.
" fix, clous amis," fait la roine,
" tendre bouche, coulor rosine, iso
chose devine, espiritex,
qui cuidast que beste ne lens
vos devorast ! dix, quel eur !
lasse ! por eoi vif tant ne dur ?
fix, on sont ore ti bel oel,
li bel, li simple, sans orguel 1
tes frons li gens, et ti bel crin,
qui tuit sambloient fait dor fin ?
ta tendre face, et tes clers vis 1
ha cuers ! por coi ne me partis? HO
quest devenue ta biautes,
et tes gens cors, et ta clartes 1
tes nes, ta bouche, et tes mentons,
et ta figure, et ta facons,
et ti bel brae, et tes mains blanches,
tes rains beles, et tes hanches,
tes beles jambes, et ti pie ;
lasse ! quel duel et quel pechie !
ja devoies tu estre fais
por devises et por sourhais ! iso
or es a leu-garoul peuture,
li miens enfes, quele aventure !
mais je ne cuit, por nule chose,
beste sauvage soit si ose,
qui ton gent cors ost adamer,
plaier, sane faire, ne navrer ;
ne cuit que ja dame dieu place,
ne que tel cruaute en face ! "
Ensi la dame se demente,
ensi por son fil se gaimente, ico
ensi le ploure, ensi le plaint,
niais tant le castoie et constraint
li rois, que tout laissier li fait
la dolor quele maine et fait ;
" Son, sweet love," saith the queen,
" Tender mouth, rosy colour,
Thing divine and spiritual,
Who could believe that beast or wolf
Could devour you ? God ! what fortune !
Alas ! wherefore live I or last so long ?
Son, where are now thy beautiful eyes,
So beautiful, so innocent, without pride ?
Thy fair forehead, and thy lovely hair,
Which seemed all made of fine gold ?
Thy tender face, and thy clear looks ?
Oh heart ! wherefore hast thou not left me ?
What is become of thy beauty,
Thy sweet body, and thy fairness ?
Thy nose, thy mouth, and thy chin,
And thy form and fashion,
And thy fair arm, and thy white hands,
Thy fair reins and thy thiglis,
Thy fair legs, and thy feet;
Alas ! what sorrow and what fault !
Thou oughtest only to have been made
For pleasures and for desires !
Now art thou food for the werwolf.
My child ! what a mischance !
But I cannot believe, on any account,
A wild beast would be so daring
As to hurt thy tender body,
To wound it, make it bleed, or tear it:
I cannot believe that it would please our
Lord God,
Or that He would do such cruelty to it."
Thus the lady is iu despair,
Thus she laments for her son,
Thus she weeps, thus she complains for him.
But the king so corrects and restrains her,
That he makes her altogether leave off
The grief which she waa continuing and
making;
THE WERWOLF TAKES CARE OP WILLIAM.
Thus the lady becomes tranQuilized.
But now it is right for me to tell you
About the wolf that fled with the child.
So far he carries it both day and night,
And traverses so much ground,
ensi la dame se rapaie.
mais or est drois que vos retraie
del leu qui o lenfant senfuit ;
tant la porte et jor et nuit,
et tante terre trespassee,
que pies de Eoume en la COntree 170 That in the country near Rome,
en une grant forest sarreste,
ou ot mainte sauvage beste.
la se repose .viii. jors entiers ;
lenfant de quanques fu mestiers
li a porquis la beste franche,
conques de rien not mesestance.
en terre a une fosse faite,
et dedens herbe mise et traite,
et la feuchiere et la lihue,
que par dedens a espandue.
la nuit le couche joste soi ;
li leus-garous le fil le roi
lacole de ses .iiii. pies,
si est de lui aprivoisies,
li fix le roi, que tot li plaist
ce que la beste de lui fait ;]
J* at ** apertly was apayed for profite bat he feld,
& [ Wrou 3 t ] * buxumly by be bestes wille in wise as it
coube.
180
In a great forest, he stops ;
Where was many a wild beast.
There he rests for eight whole days ;
Whatever the child had need of,
The noble beast provided for it,
So that it had discomfort in nothing.
In the ground he has made a trench.
And in it placed and put grass,
And also fern and herbs (?)
Which within it he has spread.
At night, he lies down near him :
The werwolf embraces the king's son
With his four feet.
And so familiar with him
Is the king's son, that all pleases him.
Whatever the beast does for him ; J
An old cowherd
dwelt in the
forest,
who kept men's
kine there.
He came by
chance to the
burrow where the
Child waa.
TTit bi-fel in J>at forest j)ere fast by-side,
* \er woned a wel old cherl bat was a coulierde, 4
bat fele winterres in ]>at forest fayre had kepud
Mennes ken of be cuntre as a comen herde ;
& bus it bitide bat time as tellen cure bokes,
)>is cowherd comes on a time to kepen is bestes 8
Fast by-side be borw} fere J>e bam was inne.
j>e herd had wi]> him an hound his hert to li^t,
1 A verb is evidently wanting to complete the sense. Perhaps
we should read, "And wrouzt buxumly by the bestes wille, &c." M.
THE COWHERD'S DOG FINDS WILLIAM.
12 He sat with his
dog, and clouted
his shoes.
The child lay hid
in the den.
forto bayte on his bestes wanne f ai to brode went.
f e herd sat fan wif houwd a}ene f e hote sunne,
Nou^t fully a furlong * fro fat fayre child,
clou^tand kyndely his schon as to l here craft falles.
fat while was f e werwolf went a-boute his praye,
what behoued to fe barn * to bring as he n^t. 16
)>e child fan darked in his den * dernly him one,
& was a big bold barn & breme of his age,
For spakly speke it couf e tho & spedeliche to-wawe.
Lonely lay it a-long in his lonely denne, 20
& buskede him out of f e buschys * fat were blowed
grene,
& leued ful louely fat lent grete schade,
& briddes ful bremely on J>e bowes singe,
what for melodye fat f ei made * in f e mey sesoun,
fat h"tel child listely lorked out of his caue,
Faire floures forto fecche fat he bi-fore him seye,
& to gadere of f e grases fat grene were & fayre.
& whan it was out went so wel hit him liked,
f e sauor of f e swete sesoura * & song of f e briddes,
fat [he] 2 ferde fast a-boute * floures to gadere,
& layked him long while to lesten fat merf e.
f e couherdes hou?id fat time * as happe by-tidde,
feld foute of f e child and fast f ider fulwes ;
& sone as he it sei} sof e forto telle,
he gan to berke on fat barn * and to baie it hold,
fat it wax nei$ of his witt wod for fere,
and comsed fan to crye * so kenly and schille,
& wepte so wonder fast wite f ou for sothe,
f at f e son of f e cry com to f e cowherde euene,
fat he wist witerly it was f e voys of a childe.
fan ros he vp radely * & ran f ider swif e,
& drow him toward f e den bi his dogges noyce.
bi fat time was f e barn * for bere of fat hourcde,
IMS. "afto."
2 Read, that it ferde," or " he ferde." M.
Lured by the
birds and by the
fair flowers.
28 he came out and
gathered flowers,
and played
about.
32 The dog tracked
him, and began to
bark
36
40
[Fol. 4 &J
The child was
frightened, and
cried out.
The cowherd
followed the child
to the den,
8 THE COWHERD AND HIS WIFE ADOPT WILLIAM.
drawe him in to his den ' & darked f er stille, 44
& wept euere as it wolde a-wede for fere ;
& euere f e dogge at f e hole held it at a-baye.
ana looked in. & whan fe kouherd com fid[er]e l he koured lowe
to bi-hold iii at f e hole whi his hoiwd berkyd. 48
f anne of-saw he ful sone fat semliche child,
fat so loueliche lay & wep * in fat lof li caue,
He saw the child clobed ful komly for ani kud kinges sone. /t&P"
lying there in
clothes of gold. I n gode clofes of gold a-grefed ful riche, 52
wif perrey & pellure pertelyche to f e ri^ttes.
f e cherl wondred of fat chaiwce & chastised his dogge,
He rebuked his bad him blinne of his berking & to f e barn talked,
the child to come acoyed it to come to him * & clepud-hit oft, 56
& foded it wif floures & wif faire by-hest,
& hi^t it hastely to haue * what it wold ^erne,
appeles & alle f inges fat childern after wilnen.
The child came so, forto sen al be sobe so faire be cherl Closed. 60
out, and he took
it in his arms, fat f e child com of f e caue * & his criyiige stint.
fe cherl ful cherli fat child tok in his armes,
& kest hit & clipped and oft crist fonkes,
fat hade him. sent f o sonde swiche prey to finde. G4
and took it home wi^tliche wif f e child * he went to his house,
and bi-tok it to his wif ti^tly to kepe.
a gladere wommora vnder god no n^t go on erf e,
she asked the fan was f e wif wif f e child witow for sof e. 68
child its name, , -in-,..,,,,. ,,
and it said, sche kolled it ful kindly --and askes is name,
& it answered ful sone & seide, " william y hi^t."
fan was f e godwif glad and gan it faire kepe,
fat it wanted nou3t fat it wold haue, 72
[Foi.5.] fat fei ne fond him as faire as for here state longed,
children oftheir & ^ e ^ ei& r, be ye sure for barn ne had fei none
own, brou^t forf of here bodies ; here bale was f e more.
^ Ut 8 ^ ly ^ ai Sei(ie ^ e cllilcl ' sclml(i weld al here g Q(iis 5
Londes & ludes as eyer after here lif dawes. 77
but from f e cherl & f e child * nov chaunge we oure tale,
1 Read " thidere." M.
THE WERWOLF FINDS THE CHILD GONE.
For i wol of f e werwolf a wile nov speke.
TTThanne f is werwolf was come * to his wolnk l denne,
' & hade bro^t bilfoder * for fe barnes mete, 81
fat he hade wonne with wo * wide wher a-boute,
fan fond he nest & no nei3 * for nou3t nas f er leued.
& whan f e best f e barn missed so balfully he g[r]innef , 2
fat alle men vpor* molde. no mi3t telle his sorwe. 85
For reuliche gan he rore & rente al his hide,
& fret oft of f e erf e & fel doun on swowe,
& made fe most dool fat man mijt diuise. 88
& as fe best in his bale f er a-boute wente,
he fond f e feute al fresh where forf f e herde
hadde bore fan barn beter it to 3eme.
wijtly f e werwolf * fan went bi nose 92
euene to f e herdes house & hastely was fare,
fere walked he a-boute f e walles * to winne in sijt ;
& at f e last lelly * a litel hole he findes.
fere pried he in priuely and pertiliche bi-holdes 96
hov hertily f e herdes wif hules fat child,
& hov fayre it fedde & fetisliche it baf ede,
& wroujt wif it as wel * as 3if it were hire owne.
fanne was fe best blif e i-nov for fe barnes sake, 100
For he wist it schold be warded wel fanne at f e best.
& hertily for fat hap * to-heuene-ward he loked,
& f roliche f onked god mani f ousand sif es,
& seff en went on is way * whider as him liked ; 104
but whiderward wot i neuer witow for sof e.
ak nowf e 36 fat arn hende * haldes ow stille,
& how fat best ferwe bale * was brou3t out of kinde,
I wol 3ou telle as swife trewly fe sofe. 108
9
When the
werwolf returned,
he found the nest.
but no eygy in it.
He roared, rent
his hide, and
swooned.
Scon he found the
cowherd's track,
and went to his
house.
Looking through
a hole, he saw
how well the
child was being
tended,
and thanked God,
and went his way.
Listen and hear
how he became a
werwolf.
Werwolf was he non wox of kinde, [Foi. s &.]
He was of noble
ac komerc was he of kun fat kud was ful nobul ; birth, for his
For f e kud king of spayne * was kindely his fader. O f Spain.
1 Sic in MS ; read wlonk ? Cf. 11. 468, 1634. 2 See note.
10
HOW PRINCE ALPHONSE BECAME A WERWOLF.
This king's first
and he married
the daughter of
the prince of
a lady skilled in
witchcraft, named
Braunde.
she, seeing her
stepson's boauty
never be king.
128
harm her stepson,
anointed him
bad his wit
he gat him, as god $af grace on his ferst wyue, 112
& a t jj e burf of fat barn f e bold lady deyde.
sif f en fat kud king so * bi his conseyl wrout,
another wif bat he wedded a worchipful ladi,
f e princes doubter of portingale * to prone f e sof e. 116
but lelliche fat ladi in ^oufe hadde lerned miche
schame,
For al f e werk of wicchecraft wel y-nou^ che 00113 f e,
nede nadde ^he namore * of nigramauncy to lere.
O f coninge of wicche-craft * wel y-nouj she cousde, 120
& brauwde was fat bold quene of burnes y-clepud.
f e kinges fnrst child was fostered fayre as it ou^t,
& had lordes & ladies * it lonely to kepe,
& fast gan fat frely barn fayre forto wexe.
j> e quene his moder on a time * as a mix f oust, v
how faire & how fetis it was * & freliche schapen.
& ^ is ) &ime t 011 ^ sche f 10 ^ ' 1? ai ii} no schuld
kuuere to be king J?er as J>e kinde eyre,
whille J?e kinges ferst sone were ]?er a-liue.
^ an s * u ^ied sche stifly as stepmoderes wol alle,
to do dernly a despit ' to here stepchilderen ;
FeJ>li a-mong fonre schore * vnnefe findestow on gode.
but truly tijt hadde ]?at quene take hire to rede 133
to bring Jjat barn in bale * botles for euer,
J>at he ne schuld wi^tli in Jns world neuer weld reaume.
a no y neme7it anon scne made of so grete strengfe, 136
bi enchauwme/is of charmes * fat euel chaunche hire tide,
fat whan fat wommaw f er-wi^t * hadde fat worli child
ones wel an-oynted f e child wel al a-bowte,
he wex to a werwolf ' wi^tly fer-after, 140
al f e making of maw so mysse hadde $he schaped.
ac his witt welt he after as wel as to-fore,
but lelly of er likenes fat longef to maw-kynne,
but a wilde werwolf ne wait he neuer after. 144
& whanne f is witty werwolf wiste him so schaped,
he knew it was bi f e craft of his kursed stepmoder,
24 ,/
<
PRAY FOR SIR HUMPHREY DE BOHUN !
11
> "
& f oujt or he went a-way he wold }if he
wayte hire sum wicked torn what bi-tidde after. 148
& as bliue, boute bod he braydes to f e quene,
& hent hire so hetterly * to haue hire a-strangeled,
fat hire deth was nei} di^t to deme J>e sof e.
but carfuli gan sche crie so kenely and lowde, 152
fat maydenes & mi^thi men manliche to hire come,
& wolden brusten f e best nad he be f e li^ttere,
& fled a-way f e faster * in-to ferre londes,
so fat pertely in-to poyle * he passed fat time, 156
as fis fortune bi-fel fat i told of bi-fore ;
f us was fis witty best * werwolf ferst maked.
but now wol i stint a stounde of fis sterne best,
& tale of fe tidy child fat y of told ere. 160
He sought to
avenge himself,
and tried to
strangle her.
She cried out, and
he fled,
and went to
Apulia.
We now return to
the child.
f us passed is f e first pas of fis pris tale,
& $e fat louen & lyken to listen a-ni more,
aile wi^th on hoi hert * to f e hei} king of heuene
preieth a pater noster priuely fis time 164
for f e hend erl of herford sir humfray de bowne,
f e king edwardes newe at glouseter fat ligges.
For he of frensche fis fayre tale ferst dede translate,
In ese of englysch men in englysch speche ; 168
& god graunt hem his blis fat godly so prayen !
Here ends the
first Passus.
Pray for Sir
Humphrey de
Bohun, earl of
Hereford, who
caused this tale
to be translated.
Leue lordes, now listenes of fis litel barn, rhe cowherd's
wife took care of
fat f e kmde kowherde-wif keped so fayre. wuiiam,
$he wist it as wel or bet as $if it were hire owne, 1 72
til hit big was & bold * to buschen on felde,
& couf e ful craftily kepe alle here bestes,
& bring hem in f e best lese whan hem bi-stode nede,
& wited hem so wisly fat wanted him neuer one. 176
a bowe al-so fat bold barn bi-gat him fat time,
& so to schote vnder f e schawes scharplyche he lerned, He leamt to
fat briddes & smale bestes wif his bow he quelles
who grew up as a
herdsman.
12
THE EMPEROR OF ROME LOSES HIS WAY.
[Foi. e 6.]
and brought home
conies and hares.
He had many
young comrades,
with whom he
always shared
what he shot.
so plenteousliche in his play fat, pertly to telle, 180
whanne he went horn eche ni^t * wif is droue of bestis,
fa com him-self y-charged wif conyng & hares,
wif feeauna & feldfares and of er foules grete ;
fat f e herde & his hende wif * & al his hole meyne 1 84-
f at bold barn wif his bo we by fat time fedde.
<fc jit hadde fele felawes in f e forest eche day,
TIT
jong bold barnes fat bestes al-so keped.
& blife was eche a barn ho best mi^t him plese, 188
& folwe him for his fredom * & for his faire f ewes.
f or wna t bing willam wan a-day wib his bo we,
were it fef ered foul * or foure-foted best,
ne wold f is william neut j r on wif -hold to him-selue,
til alle his felawes were ferst feffed to here paie. 193
so kynde & so corteys comsed he fere,
fat alle ledes him louede * fat loked on him ones ;
& blesseden fat him bare & brou^t in-to f is worlde,
so moche manhed & murf e schewed fat child euere.
one day, the
emperor of Rome
rode out to hunt,
and found a
The emperor lost
his way in the
forest.
Riding along, he
chasing a hart,
Tjit tidde after on a time as tellus oure bokes, 198
iA ag j,j s fold b arn fog bestes blyfeliche keped,
f e riche emperour of rome * rod out for to hunte
In fat faire forest feif ely for to telle,
wif alle his menskful meyne * fat moche was & nobul.
fan fel it hap fat f ei foiwde ful sone a grete bor,
& huntyng wif hound & horn harde alle sewede. 204
fe emperowr entred in a wey euene to attele
to haue bruttenet fat bor * & f e abaie sef f en ;
but missely marked he is way & so manly he rides,
fat alle his wies were went ne wist he neuer winder.
so ferforf fram his men fef ly for to telle, 209
fat of horn ne of hourad ne mijt he here sowne,
&, boute eny liuing lud left was he one.
f emperour on his stif stede a sty forf fanne takes 212
to herken after his houndes of er horn schille ;
BO komes f er a werwolf rijt bi fat way f enne,
.
HE FINDS WILLIAM, AND QUESTIONS HIM. 13
grimly after a gret hert as bat god wold,
& chased him burth chaiwce * bere be child pleide, 216
bat kept be kowherdes bestes * i carped of bi-fore. [Foi. ?.]
bemperour banne hastely bat huge best folwed He followed
J r them, but lost
as stiffuly as is stede * mi^t strecche on to renne ; sight of both.
but by-ban he com by bat barn & a-boute loked, 220
be werwolf & be wilde hert were a-weye bobe,
bat he ne wist in bis world * were bei were bi-come,
ne whiderward he schuld seche to se of hem more.
but banne bi-held he a-boute & bat barn of-seye, 224 Then he beheld
i r> i ,. , ., o f> I- t i William, and
hov fair, how letys it was & frehche schapen ; wondered at his
so fair a si$t of seg ne sawe he neuer are, iess>
of lere ne of lykame * lik him nas none,
ne of so sad a semblant bat euer he say wib ei3yen. 228
bemperour wend witerly for wonder of bat child, thinking Mm of
fairy birth.
bat fei3bely it were of feyrye for fairenes bat it welt,
& for be curteys curatenaurace * bat it kudde ]>ere.
E
i^tly benne bemperour * wendes him euene tille, 232 wniiam greets
be child comes him agayn & curtesliche him gretes.
In hast bemperour hendely his gretyng him ^eldes,
and a-non rhttes after askes his name, who asks him-nw
name and
& of what kin he were kome komanded him telle. 236 kindred.
be child banne soberliche seide " sir, at ^oure wille
I wol 3ow telle as tyt trewely alle be sobe.
william, sire, wel y wot wi^es me calles ; n^J" iam fa m7
I was bore here fast bi by bis wodcs side. 240
a kowherde, sire, of bis kontrey is my kynde fader, t c h J r ' herd is my
and my menskful moder * is his meke wiue.
bei han me fostered & fed * faire to bis time,
& here i kepe is kyn as y kan on dayes ; 244
but, sire, by cnst, of my kin know i no more."
Avhan bemperour l hade herd * holly his wordes,
he wondered of his wis speche * as he wel n^t,
& seide, " bow bold barn * biliue i be praye, 248
1 Head " themperour." The bar across the p is deficient. M.
14
THE COWHERD COMES TO THE EMPEROR.
" Go, call the
cowherd," said
the emperor.
" Nay, sir, it may
turn to his hurt"
[Fol. 7 b.]
" Rather, it may
turn to his
profit."
"I will trust
your word for
that."
William tells the
cowherd that a
great lord would
speak with him.
" Did you tell
him I was here?"
" He promised
your safetj ."
The emperor asks
the cowherd if lie
has ever seen the
emperor.
Go calle to me fe cowherde f ow clepus f i fadere,
For y wold talk [wif] him 1 tifinges to frayne."
"nay, sire, bi god," qua]) fe barn, "be 36 ri3t sure,
bi cn'st, fat is krowned * heye king of heuen, 252
For me non harm schal he haue neuer in his liue ! "
" ac perauenture Jnirth goddis [grace] 2 to gode may it
turne,
For-])i bring him hider * faire barn, y preye." 255
" I schal, sire," seide f e child " for saufliche y hope 3
I may worche on $our word to wite him fro harm."
" $a, safliche," seide f emperour " so god }if me ioie ! "
f e child witly f anne wende wif -oute ani more,
comes to f e couherdes hows * & clepud him sone ; 260
For he fei^liche wen[d] 4 * fat he his fader where ;
& seide fan, " swete sir s[o] }ou criste help !
Go)> yond to a gret lord fat gayly is tyred,
& on jje feirest frek for sofe fat i haue seie ; 264
and he wilnes wi^tli * wif ^ou to speke ;
For godis loue gof til him swif e lest he agreued wex."
" what ? sone," seide f e couherde " seidestow i was
here?" 267
" $a, sire, sertes," seide j>e child ' " but he swor formest
fat ^e schuld haue no harm but hendely for gode
he praide $ou com speke wif him * & passe a-^ein sone."
f e cherl grocching forf gof wif f e gode child, j
& euene to f emperour * f ei etteleden sone. \^^ 272
f emperour a-non ri^t * as he him of-seie,
clepud to him f e couherde & curteysly seide ;
"now telle me, felawe, be fi fei^f -for no fing ne
wonde,
sei fou euer f emperour * so fe crist help?" 276
1 The sense and cadence of the line seem to require " with ff
before " him." M.
2 Read " thurth goddis grace." M.
8 MS. for y saufliche y hope, where there seems to be ay too much.
4 See note.
THE EMPEROR QUESTIONS THE COWHERD.
15
" nay, sire, bi crist," qua]? f e couherde " fat king is
of heuew,
I nas neuer $et so hardi * to ne^h him so hende
fere i schuld liaue him seie so me wel tyme." 279
" sertes," fan seide f emperour " f e sof e forto knowe,
fat y am fat ilk weijh. i wol wel f ou wite ;
al f e regal of rome * to ri^tleche y weld,
f erfore, couherde, i f e coniure & comande att alle,
bi vertu of f ing fat f ou most in f is world louest, 284
f atow telle me ti^tly * truly f e sof e,
whef er f is bold barn be lelly fin owne,
of er corner of of er kin so f e cn'st help ! "
f e couherd comsed to quake for kare & for drede 288
whanne he wist witerly * fat he was his lorde,
& biliue in his hert be-f out }if he him gun lye,
he wold prestely perceyue pertiliche him font,
f er-fore trewly as tyt * he told him f e sof e, 292
how he him fond in fat forest * fere fast bi-side,
clothed in comly clof ing for any kinges sone,
vnder an holw ok f urth help of his dogge,
& how faire he hade him fed * & fostered vij winter,
"bi cn'st," seide f emperour "y con fe gret fonke, 297
fat f ou hast [seide] l me f e sof e of f is semly childe,
& tine schalt f ou nou$t fi trawayle y trow, at fe
kst!
ae wend schal it wif me * witow for sof e, 300
Min hert so harde wilnes to haue f is barne,
fat i wol in no wise * f ou wite it no lenger."
whan f emperour so sayde * sof e forto telle, jJjb/*** '
f e couherde was in care i can him no-f ing white. 304
ac witerly dorst he nou^t werne f e wille of his lord,
but grauwted him goddeli on godis holy name,
Forto worchen his wille as lord wif his owne.
whan william f is worf i child wist f e sof e,
and knew fat f e cowherde * nas nou^t his kinde fader,
1 Read " thou hast seide me the sothe." M.
" Nay, sir, at no
time."
" Know that I
am he ;
and I command
you to tell me the
truth.
Is this child
yours ? "
[Fol. 8.]
The cowherd
began to quake,
and told him all
the truth.
" I thank you for
telling me true ;
the child shall go
with me."
The cowherd
grieved, but dared
not refuse.
16
THE COWHERDS ADVICE TO WILLIAM.
William began
to lament sorely,
and said,
"i know not my
birth nor my
destiny, and am
much beholden to
this man and his
"Cease from thy
emperor,
[Foi. s 6.]
" thou shall
requite thy
friends."
The cowherd then
counselled
William
to be no teller of
to take the part
of poor men,
and to be faithful
speech;
lesson which
the cowherd had
learnt from his
}ie was wi^tliche a-wondered * & gan to wepe sore,
. . ,_
& seide saddely to hun-self sone f er-after,
"a ! gracious gode god ! * 0113 grettest of alle ! 312
Moch is f i mercy & f i mi^t f i menske, & f i grace !
now wo t f neuer in f is world of wham y am come,
ne what destene me is di$t but god do his wille !
, ., , . / -i oi/
ac wel y wot wittffly wif-oute am faile, 316
to f is ma/i & his meke wif most y am holde ;
For f ei ful faire han me fostered & fed a long time,
fat god for his grete mi^t al here god hem 3eld. 319
but not y neuer what to done * to weride f us hem fro,
fat han al kindenes me kyd * & y ne kan hem ^elde ! "
" hi stille, barn," quaf f emperour * " blinne of f i sorwo,
Por y hope fat hal pi kin * hastely here-after, 323
^if pou wolt ^eue pe to gode * swiche grace may ]>e falle,
hat alle bi frendes fordedes faire schalstow quite."
" 2a, sire, quaj) ]?e couherde, " }if crist wol fat cas
may tyde,
& god lene him grace to god man to worf e."
& fcan as tit to be child * he taiut bis lore. 328
& seide, " f ou swete sone * sef f e foil schalt hennes
wende,
whanne f ou komest to kourt amo/zg f e kete lordes,
& knowest alle f e kuf fes * fat to kourt langes,
bere fe boxumly & bonure fat ich burn fe loue. 332
be meke & mesurabul * nou^t of many wordes,
be jio tellere of talis but trewe to f i lord,
& prestely for pore men prefer f e euer,
For hem to rekene wif f e riche * in ri^t & in skille. 336
be fei^tful & fre * & euer of faire speche,
& seruisabul to fe simple * so as to fe riche,
& felawe in faire manere as falles for f i state ;
so schaltow gete goddes loue * & alle gode mennes. 340
Leue sone, f is lessouft me lerde my fader,
fat knew of kourt f e f ewes for kourteour was he kwg,
& hald it in f i hert now i f e haue it kenned ;
WILLIAM'S MESSAGE TO HIS PLAYMATES.
fe bet may fe bi-falle f e worse bestow neuere." 344
17
|<%e child weped al-way wonderliche fast,
J but f emperour had god game of fat gomes lore,
& comande l f e couherde * curteysli and fayre, 347
to heue vp fat hende child bi-hinde him on his stede.
& he so dede deliuerly f ou}!! him del fou^t, <;
& bi-kenned him to crist fat on croice was peyned.
f anne fat barn as biliue by-gan for to glade
fat he so realy schuld ride * & redeli as swif e 352
Eul curteisle of f e couherde * he cacces his leue,
& sef f en seyde, " swete sire i bes[e]che 2 $ou nowf e,
For godes loue, gretes ofte my godelyche moder,
fat so faire ha]? me fed & fostered till nowfe. 356
& lellyche, $if our lord wol fat i liif haue,
sche ne schal iiou3t tyne hire trauayle * treuly for sof e.
& gode sire, for godes loue also gretef wel oft
alle my freyliche felawes fat to f is forest longes, 360
han pertilyche in many places pleide wif ofte,
hugonet, & huet fat hende litel dwerf , 3
& abelot, & martynet hugones gaie sone ;
& f e cn'sten akarin fat was mi kyn fere, 364
& f e trewe kinnesman * f e payenes sone,
& alle of er frely felawes fat f ou faire knowes,
fat god mak hem gode men for his mochel grace."
of f e names fat he nemned f emperour nam hede, 368
& had gaynliche god game * for he so grette alle
of his ccwpers fat he knew so curteysliche & faire.
& fan be-kenned he f e kouherde to cn'st & to hal
alwes,
& busked forf wif fat barn bliue on his gate. 372
f e kouherde kayred to his house karful in hert,
& nei^ to-barst he for bale for f e barnes sake.
& whan his wiif wist wittow for sof e,
1 In 1. 236 we have " komanded ;" but see the note.
2 MS. " befche." Read " beseche." M. 3 See note.
2
The emperor tells
the cowherd to
set William on
his horse,
and the child was
pleased to think
he should ride
royally.
William bids the
cowherd farewell,
and sends a
message to his
foster-mother,
and to his old
playmates,
[Pol. 9.]
Hugonet,
and Huet, Abelot,
Martynet, and
Akarin,
and all the rest.
The emperor then
rides away.
The cowherd goes
home, very
sorrowful,
18 THE EMPEROR BRINGS WILLIAM TO ROME.
how fat child from here warde was wente for euer-morc,
and his wife i> er n i s ma n on bis mold * bat mht half telle 377
weeps most
bitterly. f e wo & f e weping fat womman made.
sche wold haue sleie hire-self fere sof ly, as bliue,
ne hade f e kind kouherde conforted here f e betere,
<fe pult hire in hope to haue gret help f er-of after. 381
NO more of them but trewely of hem at fis time f e tale y lete,
of f emperour & f e bold barn to bigynne to speke.
The emperor
finds hie men,
and the spoil
which they had
All wondered at
seeing the child,
whicn, said the
emperor, " God
had sent him."
[Fol. 9 &.]
He rides to Rome,
and alights at his
palace.
Now the emperor
had a dear
daughter
of the same age
as William,
named Melior.
To her care the
emperor com-
mends William,
T ordes, lustenef her-to }if 3011 lef f inkes ! 384
** f emperour blif e of f e barn * on his blonk rides
Fast til fe forest, til he fond al his fre ferd,
fat hadde take fat time moche trye game,
bof e bores & beres fele hors charge, 388
hertes & hindes & of er bestes manye.
& whan f e loueli ludes * seie here lord come,
f ei were geinliche glad & gretten him faire,
but alle a-wondered f ei were * of f e barn him bi-hinde,
so faire & so fetyse it was * & freliche schapen ; 393
& freyned faire of f emperour whar he it founde hadde.
he gaf hem answere a-gayn fat god it him sent,
of er- wise wist non where he it founde. 396
fan rod he forf wif fat rowte in-to rome euene,
& euer fat bold barn * by-hinde him sat stille.
so passed he to f e paleys and presteliche a-li^t, 399
& william fat choys child in-to his chaumber ledde.
a dere damisele to dorter f is emperour hadde f anne.
of alle fasouw f e fairest * fat euer freke sei^e,
& witerly willmm & ^he were of on held,
as euene as ani wijt schuld attely bi aijt. 404
& fat menskful mayde melior was hoten,
a more curteyse creature ne cunnyngere of hire age,
was nou3t f anne in f is world fat ani wijt knewe.
f emperour to fat mayde mekliche wendef , 408
& william fat worf i child wif him he ladde,
and seide, " dere doubter y do f e to wite,
WILLIAM IS COMMITTED TO MELIOR's CARE.
19
his meeting with
the child,
I haue a pris presant to plese wib bi hert. saying he has
brought her a
haue here fis bold bam * & be til him meke, 412 rich present;
& do him kepe clenly for kome he his of gode ;
1 hent bis at hunting * swiche hap god me sent ;"
& told here banne as tit treweli al be sobe,
how he hade missed is mayne & malskrid a-boute, 416 relating to her
the whole story
& how be werwolf wan him bi * wib a wilde hert, about the
& how sadly he him sewed * to haue slayn bat dere,
til bei hadde brou^t him fere * bat barn bestes kept,
& how sone of his sei^t be bestes sebben ware ; 420
& how be couherde com him to & was a-knowe be sobe,
how he him fond in bat forest ferst, fat faire child,
& how komeliche y-clobed for ani kinges sone ;
& how be kouherde for kare cuwzsed to sorwe, 424 the cowherd's
whanne he wold wif be child wende him frorame j
& how boldely fat barn bad f e couherde f anne
to grete wel his gode wiif & gamely ber-after
alle his freliche felawes bi-forn as i told. 428
" & f er-fore, my dere doubter " f emperour seide,
" For mi lof loke him wel for lelly me f inkes,
bi his menskful maneres * & his man-hede,
fat he is kome of god kin to crist y hope ; 432
and William's
messages to his
step-mother and
comrades.
" Love him well,
for I suspect he
is of noble kin;
[The next folio (Fol. 10) being lost,
the French
[car mult par est et biax, et gens,
de cors, de vis, et de faiture.
encor orrons, par aventure,
de quex gens est estrais et nes.
ma douce fille, or retenes
lenfant que je vos amain ci."
" ce soit la vostre grant merci,"
dist meliors, " biau sire chiers,
je le retieng mult volentiers."
puis prent lenfant et si lenmaine, 10
en la soie chambre demaine,
its place is here supplied from
text.]
For he is very fair and handsome
In body, in face, and in fashion.
We shall yet hear, peradventure,
Of what kin he is descended and born.
My sweet daughter, now take care of
The child whom I here bring you."
" Great thanks are due to you for this,"
Said Melior, "fair father dear;
I take care of him very willingly."
Then she takes the child and leads him awy-
Brings him into her chamber,
20
WILLIAM DEMEANS HIMSELF COURTEOUSLY,
uns dras li a fait aporter,
sel fait vester et conreer.
Quant des dras fu apareillies,
et a sa guise fu chaucies,
or fu si gens et si tres biax
et si apers li damoisiax,
con ne recourast son pareil,
desos la clarte du soleil,
de sa biaute, de sa semblance,
et meliors, qui tant ert france,
li a fait par .i. sien sergant
aporter le mangier devant.
et cil manga qui fain avoit,
or revient auques a son droit.
por cou se il est fix de Roi,
nest desonors, si com ie croi,
sil sert a cort dempereor,
et pucele de tel valor
com meliors estoit la bele.
ensi remest o la pucele
GmHiaumes, com poes oir ;
mult se paine de li servir
et des autres tous ensement.
mult si acointe belement,
si com li horn qui nestoit mie
norris en cort nentre maisnie,
mais auques le prueve nature,
et il sor tote creature
Sentente et tot SOn CUer Velt metre 40 G ives attention and puts his whole heart
a quanque se doit entremetre.
nus damoisiax de nul service
a cort si haute ni si riche.
fTlant i a lenfes son cuer mis,
J- et tant entendu et apris,
quancois que fust passes li ans,
fu il si prex et si sachans,
Has a robe brought for him,
And has him clothed and well cared for,
When he was dressed in the robes,
And fittingly provided with shoes.
So gracious and so very fair
And so frank was the boy,
That his equal could not be met with.
Beueath the light of the sun,
20 For his beauty, for his appearance.
And Melior, who was so bountiful,
Caused one of her servants
To carry a repast before him.
And he, being hungry, ate it,
And returned then to his duty.
Wherefore if he is a king's son
'Tis no dishonour, as I believe,
If he serves at the emperor's court
And (serves) a damsel of such worth,
30 As was Melior the beautiful.
Thus remained with the damsel
William, as you may hear ;
Much pains he takes to serve her
And all the others likewise.
Very excellently he demeans himself,
Like, indeed, a man who had never been.
Nourished in court or household,
But nature also proves him,
And he, above every creature,
To whatever he ought to undertake.
There was no youth, in any service,
So high and so rich at court.
The child so gave his attention there,
And understood and learnt so much,
That before the year was passed,
He was so yiudent and so wise,
AND GROWS UP BELOVED BY ALL.
21
quil nest horn qui le puist reprenclre,
tant i sache garder, nentendre
de riens nule que veoir sace, 50
que riens mesprenge ne mefface.
oi aves pieca retraire,
que li oisiax de gentil aire
safaite meisme aparlui,
tot sans chastiement dautrui ;
comme vos ci oir poes,
fiest si Guilliaumes doctrines.
T?nsi Gmlliaumes est a cort,
-^ a tos desert que on lounort,
ne fait riens qui doie desplaire. eo
mult par est frans et debonnaire,
servicables, cortois, et prous,
et mult se fait amer a tous,
et larges de quanquavoir puet.
et sachies bien, pas ne lestuet
a chastoier de ses paroles,
queles soient laides ne foles,
mais asises et delitables.
si set plus desches et de tables,
doisiax, de bois, de chacerie, 70
que nus qui soit en Lombardie,
nen toute la terre de Eome ;
ma vallet_, fil a liaut home,
na riche prince natural
quant Gmlliaumes siet a cheval,
lescu au col, el poing la lance
tant par soit de fiere semblance,
si gens, ne si amanevis ;
ne sai que plus vos en devis ;
que tuit samblent a lui vilain, so
et li lombart et li remain.
bien samble a tos estre lor sire
en tot le regne nen lempire.
That no one could reprove him
(So well can he take care), nor perceive
For anything that he could see,
That he mistook or misdid anything.
Ye have long ago heard say
That the bird of gentle hreed
Learns even by himself,
Without correction by another ;
Even as ye here may hear,
William thus taught himself.
Thus William lives at the court,
He deserves that all should honour him,
And does nothing to displease.
He is very frank and amiable,
Serviceable, courteous, and prudent,
And makes himself much loved by all,
And (he is) bounteous as far as he is able.
And know well, there is no need
To correct him for his words,
Which are neither rude nor silly,
But staid and pleasing.
He knew more of chess and tables,
Of hawking, of the woods, of the chase,
Than any one in Lombardy,
Or in all the territory of Rome ;
There is no lad, son to a great man,
Nor rich prince by birth
(When William sits on his horse,
Shield on his neck, lance in his fist),
Can be of such fierce appearance,
So gracious, nor so dexterous ;
I know not that I can tell you more about it
So that all seem plebeian beside him.
Both Lombard and Roman.
He seems to be the lord of them all
In all the kingdom and empire.
22
THE LADIES ALL SET THEIR LOVE ON WILLIAM.
ni a .i. seul, ne bas ne haut,
a cui il soit, de ce me vant(?),
des biens, de lui que la gens conte ;
chascuns en fabloie et raconte.
tous li pueples, communement,
et lempereres ensement
li porte honor, aime, et tient chier 90
comme le fil de sa moillier ;
et quant il va en esbanoi,
toudis maine GuilKemwe o soi ;
en grant afaire ou en besoing
tos jors iva, soit pres ou loing.
et cil del regne denviron,
li grant signor et li baron,
por lamor a lempereor,
laiment et portent grant honor,
et plus encor por sa franchise, 100
dont chascuns tant le loe et prise.
et ke diroie des puchieles,
des dames et des damoisieles 1
certes, et se diex me doinst joie,
ne cuit que nule qui le voie
ne qui son los oie retraire,
tant par i soit de haut afaire,
bele, cortoise, ne prisie,
nestraite de haute lignie,
ne sage, orgeilleuse, ne cointe, no
qui ne vausist estre sa-cointe !
"Mult a boin los par la contree,
""* par tot en va sa renoumee.
si fut a cort .iii. ans tos plains
Guilh'awTwes entre les Remains,
com vos dire maves oi,
forment crut et bien enbarni ;
et devint gens li damoisiax,
et fors et aformes et biax ;
There is no one, low or high,
Who possesses whereof I boast (?)
The virtues, which people relate of him;
Every one speaks of them and tells them.
All the people, in common (honour him),
And the emperor, in like manner,
Honours, loves, and holds him dear
As the son of his own wife ;
And when he goes out for amusement,
He always takes William with him;
In great affairs, or in case of need,
Always he goes there, whether near or far.
And those of the country round about,
The great lords and barons,
For love of the emperor,
Love and greatly honour him,
And still more for his bounty,
For which every one praises and esteems him.
And what can I say of the maidens,
Of the ladies and the damsels ?
Certes, so God give me joy,
I believe there is none who sees him
Or bears his praise told,
Of however great consideration she may be.
However fair, courteous, and estimable.
However noble by birth,
However wise, proud, or clever,
But she wishes to be his love !
He has great good praise in the country,
Everywhere spreads his renown.
Thus at the court three full years
Was William, among the Romans,
As ye have heard me tell,
Well grown and of good stature ;
And the youth became gracious,
And strong and of fine form and fairr
AIELIOR S HEART TURNS TOWARDS WILLIAM.
23
de la chambre est merveilles bien ; 120 In the chamber he is \ery admirable ;
les puceles sur tote rien,
por sa franchise et sa valor,
li portent mult tres grant honor.
Quant meliors la debonaire
ot del vallet le los retraire,
et les grans biens qui en lui sont,
et voit quil na si bel el mont,
ne damoisel de sa valor,
fil de roi ne dempereor,
ne de si boine renoumee,
trestot son cuer et sa pensee
tot maintenant vers lui atorne.
or est si tres pensive et morne
quele nentent a autre chose,
son cuer reprent et blasme et chose,
et dist so vent, " cuers ! que as tu 1
quas tu esgarde ne veu,
que tout mi oel moustre ne fait,
qui mas embatue en cest plait ?
que je ne sai que puisse avoir,
ne quel error me fait doloir,
ne plaindre plus que je ne suel.
The maidens above everything,
For his frankness and his valour,
Accord him very great honour.
When Melior the amiabl*
Hears the praise of the lad told,
And the great goodness that is in him,
And sees there is none in the world so fair,
No youth of his worth,
(Whether) son of king or of emperor,
130 Nor any of such good renown,
Soon her heart and her thought
Very quickly turns she towards him.
Then she is so very sad and sorrowful,
That she minds nothing else.
She reproves and blames and rebukes her
heart,
And says often, " Heart, what hast thou ?
What hast thou beheld or seen
For mine eye shews or tells me nothing
That has cast me into this debate ?
140 So that I know not what is the matter,
Nor what fault makes me grieve,
Or complain more than I am wont.
Diex ! quex maus est dont tant me Oh God ! what evil is & l thus s^eve for,
duel,
qui S1 me fait esteildillier ?] That makes me thus move restlessly?
& sef f e sike i & sing samen to-gedere,
& melt nei^h for mournyng & moche ioie make.
Min hert hoi i haue now for al fat hard y fele,
saue a fers feintise folwes me oft, 436
& takes me so tenefully to telle al f e sof e,
fat i mase al marred for mournyng nei^h hondes,
but redelicne in fat res f e recuuerere fat me falles,
as whan i haue ani hap to here of fat barne, 440
[Fol. 11.]
I sigh and sing
together.
A faintness often
seizes me.
For wham myn hert is so hampered
nobul,
& aides so
I recover when I
hear of that
24
MELIOR BLAMES HER HEART BITTERLY,
flower of
mankind.
I have portrayed
him within my
heart,
and would not
scrape out his
portrait for all the
world.
Since it is so, I
am wrong to
blame my heart.
I ought rather to
blame my eyes.
Yet my eyes are
my heart's
subjects.
[Fol. 11 ft.]
My sight can do
no harm, unless
my heart assent.
My sight only
does his duty.
fat flour is of alle frekes of fairnes and mi^t.
prince is non his pere * ne in parades non aimgel,
as he semes in mi si^t * so faire is fat burne. 444
I haue him portreide an paynted in mi hert wi|>-
inne,
fat he sittus in mi si$t me f inkes euer-more.
& faire so l his figure is festened in mi ^out, 2
fat wij> no coyntise ne craft ne can y it out scrape. 448
& be marie, Jjou^h i mi^t to mengge al f e soj>e,
I ne wold nou^t for al f is world so wel it me likes,
j>ei$h i winne wif mi werk f e worse euer-more !
so gret liking & loue i haue fat lud to bi-hold, 452
fat i haue leuer fat loue fan lac al mi harmes.
Nou certes, sef f e it is so to seie f e trewf e,
f ann haue y had gret wrong myn [hert] so to blame,
For eni werk fat he wrou^t seffe i wol it hold, 456
ne wold i it were non of er al f e world to haue.
whom schal i it wite but mi wicked eyi^en,
fat lad myn hert f rou$ loking f is langour to drye 1
nad f ei [ben, i ini^t] boute 3 bale haue schaped ; 460
redeli bi resoun f erf ore hem rette i mai mi sorwe." O^
but f anne f ou^t che fat f rowe * in f is selue wise, ~l~**
" Min ei3en sorly aren sogettes * to serue min hert,
& buxum ben to his bidding as boie to his master ; 464
eke wite i al f e wrong f e werk of mi ei3en,
& f ou3h sertes, so may i nou3t by no sof e ri$t ;
For seffe i knowe fat mi sijt is seruawt to mi hert,
& alle my nof er wolnk wittes to wirchen his hest. 468
For f ou3h i sette my sijt sadly on a f ing,
be hit better of er broun beter of er worse,
Mi sijt may in no maner more harme wirche,
but 3if myn hauteyn hert f e harde a-sente.
eke sof ly my sijt * is soget to my hert,
& dof nou3t but his deuer as destine wol falle.
472
i so faire (?) 2 j, ut (?)
* MS. " nad J>ei i am a boute." See note.
BUT SOON THINKS SHE HAS BEEN TOO SEVERE. 25
fan has my hasty hert holly f e wrong,
him wol i blame & banne but he my bales amende, 476
fat haf him so strangly set * in swiche strauwge burne,
fat wot neuer in f is world whennes fat he come,
but as mi fader him fond in f e forest an herde,
keping me/mis kin of f e kuntre a-boute. 480
what 1 ? fy ! schold i a fundeling for his fairenesse tak 1 ?
nay, my wille wol nou;t a-sent to my wicked hert. lin s for his
fairness ?
wel kud kinges & kaysers krauen me i-now,
,i I nel leie mi loue so low now at fis time ; 484 [ ^ e i
desparaged were i disgisili }if i dede in fis wise,
I wol breke out fram fat baret * & blame my hert."
Oche iurned here fan tijtly to haue slept a wile, 487 f
*J & seide sadly, of hire hert sche wold seche ame^dis sighs, and says,
For sche so wrongly had wrou^t but wi;tly f er-after,
sche seide sikinde to here-self in fis selue wise.
" now witterly ich am vn-wis & wonderliche nyce, l^my^rt
fus vn-hendly & hard * mi herte to blame. 492 so -
to whom mi^t i me mene amendis of him to haue,
sef f e i am his souerayn mi-self in alle f ing ? twerS^ ? t8
nis he holly at my hest * in hard & in nesche ?
& now, bi crist, i knowe wel for al my care newe, 496
he wrou^t neuer bot my worchepe ne wol nou^t, i leue.
I se wel he haf set him-self in so nobul a place, ^uSin a th
fat perles of alle puple is preised ouer alle, noble P 1 * 06 -
of fairnesse of facioun and frely f euwes, 1 500
For kurteysie, vnder krist is king ne kud duk.
& f ou3h he as fundeling where founde in f e forest wilde, ^ere^oumUhT
& kept wif fe kowherde kin to karp fe sobe, surely he was of
noble birth.
eche creature may know * he was kome of gode. 504
For first whan f e fre was in f e forest fouwde in his I F L 12 -3
denne,
In comely clof es was he clad for any kinges sone. His clothes and
his manners
wnan he kom first to fis kourt * bi kynde fan he schewde, proved it.
1 A line lost here ?
26 MELIOR WILL BLAME HER HEART NO MORE.
his manors were so menskful a-mende hem mi^t none,
& sef f e forsof e til f is time non vn-tetche he ne wrou^t,
"but haf him bore so buxumly fat ich burn him preysef ,
AII men honour & vch a burn of f is world * worchipef him one,
Kinges & kud dukes kene kni^tes and other, 512
f ou^h he were komen of no ken but of kende cherls,
{Jk *t as i wot witterly so was he neuere !
^ut wif worchepe i wene i mi^t him wel loue.
since then he ia & sef f e he so perles is preised * ouer princes & of er, 516
& eche lord of f is lond * is lef him to piece
For most souereyn seg & semlyest of f ewes,
i did wrong to f anne haue i wited alle wrong * f e werk of myw herte,
For he has don his deuere dignely as he out. 520
he het me most wor)>i of wommew holde in erf e,
Kindely Jmrth kinrade of cristen lawe ;
For, in truth, my For-f i niyn herte hendely has wrou}t in his dedes
well; and could to sette him-self so sadly * in fe soueraynest burne 524
better. \^ ^ QV ^ S *& an i lond of alle hides preised,
I ne wot neuere in f is world what wise he rni^t betere
wirche for me in f is world my worschipe to saue.
For }if eny man on mold more worf i were, 528
Min hert is so hauteyn fat herre he wold.
lamaonyi & for i so wrongely 1 haue wroiut * to wite him, me
blamed my 3 J
heart, greues ;
I giue me holly in his grace as gilty for fat ilk,
& to mende my misse * i make myn a-vowe. 532
I wol here-after witerly wif-oute more striue,
and win work all wirche holly mi hertes wille to harde & to nesche.
its will
henceforth. & leye my loue on fat lud lelly for euere.
to god here i gif a gift it gete schal neuer of er, 536
wile him lastef f e liif * my loue i him grante."
A nd whan sche so was a-sented sche seide sone after,
Alas 1 1 fear this "** sadli sikand & sore for sorwe atte here herte,
' " Alias! i trowe fis bitter bale botlesse wol hende ! 540
1 MS. worngely."
SHE FEELS LIKE A SHIP AT SEA.
27
For i not in f is world l how fat worf i child
schal euer wite of my wo wif -oute me selue.
nay ! sertes my-selue * schal him neuer telle ;
For fat were swiche a wo}!! * fa neuer wolde be mended.
For he mi^t ful wel * for a fol me hold, 545
& do him lof e mi loue * }it haue y leuer deie !
nay ! best be]) it nou^t so * }if better mi^t bi-falle,
Ich mot worche of er wise $if i wol out-spede. 548
what, i suppose f e selue ^if it so bi-tidde
fat i wrou3t so wodly & wold to him speke,
fat were semlyest to seye to saue my worchep 1
3if i told him treuli my tene and myn anger, 552
what liif for longyng of loue i lede for his sake,
He wold wene i were wod or witerly schorned,
or fat i dede for despit * to do him a schonde ;
\ ~/^ & 1?^ were a schamly schenchip to schende me euer.
what }if i saide him sadly * fat i sek were, 557
& told him al treuly f e entecches of myn euele 1 ^
he knowef nou^t of fat kraft * bi krist, as i trowe,
wherfore he ne schold in no wise wite what i mente ;
but whanne i hade al me mened no more nold he seie
but " serteinly, swete damisele * fat me sore rewes."
f anne wold mi wo wex al newe,
& doubel is now mi duel * for i ne dar hit schewe. 564
alias ! whi ne wist fat wi^h * what wo fat me eyles,
what sorwes & sikingges i suffer for his sake !
I sayle now in f e see, as schip boute mast,
boute anker or ore or ani semlyche sayle ; 568
but hei3h heuene king to gode hauene me sende,
ojjer laske mi liif daywes * wif-inne a litel terme."
f us fat maiden meliors * in mornyng fa liuede,
& hit held hire so harde i hete f e for sof e, 572
& schorttily wif -in seuei^t * al hire slep sche leues,
here mete & al merthe sche missed in a while,
& seccleled in a seknesse f e sof e for to telle,
1 MS. " world J>is ;" instead of " Jris world."
[Fol. 12 &.]
for I will never
tell him my love.
He, might think
me foolish.
Or suppose I did
speak to him,
and told him my
sorrow.
he would tfcink
me mad, or that
I mocked him.
Or suppose I
said I am sick ;
he would not
understand me.
My grief would
only bo doubled.
1 sail in the sea /
like a mastless /
ship, without Cy
anchor, oar, or i
sail."
Thus Melior
lamented.
She sickened and
pined,
ALEXANDRINE COMFORTS MELIOR.
[Fol. 13.]
and her colour
faded.
fat f er nas leche in no lond fat liif hire bihi3t, 1 576
3 it couf e non by no craft knowen hire sore ;
but duelfulli sche dwined a-waie bof e dayes & nijtes,
& al hire clere colour comsed for to fade.
Melior-8 farourite
was Alexandrine,
daughter of the
duke of
Lombardy;
who said to her,
"Tell me the
cause of your
sickness ;
I may be able to
help you."
" Dear cousin,"
said Melior,
"thouspeakest
comfort to me.
I will tell you all
my grief.
|-%anne hadde f is menskful melior * may denes fele 580
* a-segned hire to serue * & to seuwe hire a-boute ;
but amowg alle f e maidenes most sche loued one
fat was a digne damisele to deme al f e sof e,
& komew of hire oune kin h[er]e 2 kosin ful nere, 584
of lumbardie a dukes doubter ful derworf in wede,
& fat amiabul maide alisaundrine a-hi3t.
& from f e time fat melior * gan morne so strong,
fat burde was euer hire bi busy hire to plese, 588
More fan ani of er damisele so moche sche hire louede.
& whan sche 8613 here so sek sche seide on a time,
" Now for marie, madame f e milde quene of heuene,
& for fat loue fat 36 loue leliest here in erfe, 592
Sei3th me al 3our seknesse & what so sore 3ow greiiis.
30 knowen icham 3our kosyn & bi krist of heuene,
3ut bi cas of cunsail ful wel can ich hele,
& be tristy and trew to 3ow for euer-more, 596
and help 3ow hasteli at al 3oure hele to gete,
jif 36 saie me 3oure sores & ich se what may gayne."
whan melior fat meke mayde herd alisauwdrines
wordes,
sche was gretly gladed of hire gode bi-hest, 3 600
& wif a sad sikyng seide to hire f anne ;
" a ! curteyse cosyne crist mot f e it jelde
of f i kynde cumfort fat f ow me kuf est nowf e,
f ow hast warsched me wel * wif f i mede wordes. 604
I jiue me al in f i grace * to gete me su?ft hele,
as f ow me here has be-hi3t of mi harde peynes ;
now wol i telle f e my tene wat so tide after.
1 Here follows the catchword' jit couj?e." 2 MS.
3 This line and the next are transposed in the MS.
he."
SHE SAYS SHE KNOWS SHE CAN CURE HER.
29'
serteynly f is seknesse fat so sore me greues 608
Is feller fan any frek fat euer }it hadde.
& ofter fan [ten] l times hit takef me a-daye,
& [ix.] l times on fe ni^t nou^t ones lesse ;
and al comes of a froly f ou3t fat firles min hert ; 612
I wold meng al mi mater ^if i mi^t for schame.
ac wond wold ich nou^t to f e witow for sof e,
ay whan ich hent f e haches fat so hard aren. O^
It komses of a kene fou$t fat ich haue in hert 616
of william fat bold barn fat alle burnes praisen ;
nis no man vpow mold fat more worchip winnes.
him so propirli haue i peinted & portreide in herte,
fat me semes in my sijt he sittes euer meke. 620
what man so ich mete wif or mele wif speche,
Me f inkes euerich f rowe fat barn is fat of er ;
& fele times haue ich fonded to flitte it fro foi^t,
but witerly al in wast fan worche ich euer. 624
f er-for, curteise cosynes * for loue of crist in heuene,
Kif e nou^ f i kindenes & konseyle me f e best ;
For but ich haue bote of mi bale bi a schort time,
I am ded as dore-nail now do al f i wille ! " 628
[FoL 13 6.]
It comes from a
heart-piercing
thought,
i
of a thought
about that
William, whom
all praise.
Every man I
speak to seems to
be William.
Counsel me,
cousin, or I am
as dead as a
door-nail."
l<%anne alisauwdrine a-non after fat ilk,
wax gretly a-wondered & wel hire bi-f ou$t,
what were hire kuddest comfort * hire care to lisse ;
& seide f anne til hire softily sone f er-after ; 632
" a ! madame, for marie loue mornes no lenger !
nis it no sekenes bote fat * so sore ^ou^ eiles,
I schal furth craft fat ich kan keuer ^ou i hope,
Mow i geten a grece fat i gaynli knowe ! (***? 636
haue ^e sleiliche 2 it seie & a-saide ones,
& feled f e sauor & f e swetnesse fat sittes in f e rote,
hit schal veraly furth vertue do vanisch ^our soris ! "
ofer-wise wold sche nou^t wissen here ladi 640
bi what maner che ment last sche were a-greued.
1 See note. MS. " 3e it fleiliche it."
Alexandrine was
amazed, and said,,
" Mourn not, I
will heal you.
I know of a herb
whose virtue can.
cure you."
30 ALEXANDRINE MAKES WILLIAM DREAM
Meiior thanked j>an bat melior ful mekeli bat mayden yanked,
her, and prayed . r
her to get it. & preide hire pnuek wif pitous wordes,
to gete hire fat gode gras as sone as sche mi^t. 644
& alisauftdrine a-non answeres and saide,
she said she " Madame, I wol do mi mi^t wif-oute more speche."
[FoL^H.] f anne J>is maiden melior gan menden here chere,
fus was ferst here sad sorwe sesed fat time. 648
Alexandrine alisandrine algate ban after fbatl browe
planned how to
let wmiam know bi-f ou$t hire ful busily * howe best were to werche,
to do willmm to wite f e wille of hire lady,
properly vnparceyued for reproue after. 652
Ful conyng was sche & coynt & couj>e fele Binges,
Y- of charmes & of chau[V]temews to schewe harde castis ;
and, by her craft, g bimh be craft bat sche coube to carpp be sobe,
as he lay asleep,
as wilh'am fat worj>i child * on a ni$t slept, 656
boute burn in his bonr but him-self one,
l^MUA/ttf. ) W<X4*f>4
she made him a ful selcojifejsweuehe set sche him to mete ;
fat melior, fat menskful may mekli al-one
com ful comliche clad & kneled him bi-fore, 660
al bi-weped for wo * wisly him fou^t ;
& sikand ful sadli * seide Jms him tille
that Meiior came " a ! loueh'che lemman ! loke on me nowj>e !
lim, and said, j am ^ e ^ ors> -^Q^ marred man, for J>i sake. 664
s^JkavA I meke me in ]>i merci for fow me n^t saue !
"Oh take me, Leue lord, mi lemman * lacche me in J?i narmes,
Iov6 in tliine
anns ! " & wirche wi]> me )>i wille * or witterli in hast
Mi liif lelly is lorn so loue now me hampris." 668
Jms William foujt witterly & wi3tly wij> fat ilk,
as a gome ful glad for fat grace fallen,
He tried to do so, He wend to haue Iau3t fat ladi * loueli in armes ; jji^
pmow* & clipte to him a pulwere & propirly it gretes, ^673
and welcomes hii worf H for wisseli him f ou^t
fat it was f e menskful mayde meh'or his ladi !
nd awoke, fat puluere clept he cui-teisly & kust it ful ofte,
& made f er-wif f e most merf e fat ani ma?i schold ;
but fan in his saddest solas * softili he a-waked. 677
THAT THE LADY MELIOR LOVES HIM.
31
ak so liked him his layk wip pe ladi to pleie,
pat after he was a-waked * a ful long prowe,
he wende ful witerly sche were in is armes ; 680
ac peter ! it nas but is puluere to proue pe sope.
but whan he witterly was a-waked he wayted a-boute,
to haue bi-hold pat burde his blis to encrese.
panne perceyued he pe puluere * pertely in his armes,
oper wi}t was non * wip-inne pat chambur. 1 685
pan brayde he vp of his bed * as burn nei^h amased,
& loked after pat ladi * for lelli he wende
pat sche here had hed in sum hurne * in pat ilk time,
to greue him in hire game as feijh. he gyled were.
but whan he wist it was wast * al pat he sou^t,
he gan to sike & sorwe & seide in pis wise :
"a ! ihesu crist, iustise * now iugge pou$ pe ri^t, 692
how falsly has fortune * founde me nowpe.
nas mi menskful ladi * meliors h[er]e-inne, 2
& lowed hire to be mi lemman & lai in myn armes,
oper elles sopli, sche seide * pat sche dei schuld? 696
^is, i-wisse, was it sche * y wot wel pe sope ;
Metyng 3 mi3t it be non * in no maner wise ;
so lonely lay pat ladi & ich layking to-gaderes.
& soply, sop it is a selcoupe, me pinkes, 700
whider pat lady is went and wold no lenger dwelle."
panne lep he vp Ii3teli ' & loked al a-boute, -^tC-yvw
but fe^tly al was fenteme & al was in wast. -
panne seide he to him-self sikinde ful soft : 704
" For sope, ich am a mad man now wel ich may knowe,
Forto wene in pis wise * pis wrong metyng sope.
Min hert is to hauteyn so hye$ to climbe,
so to leue pat ladi wold louwe hire so moche,
pat is an emperours eir and euene his pere,
to come to swiche a caytif nay, crist it for-bede
ipat ich more of pat matere so misseliche penke !
She was gone ; it
was only his
pillow.
[Fol. 14 b.]
He looked for her
in every corner in
vain, and sighed,
and said,
" Was not my
lady Melior here ?
It could not have
been a dream.
'
708
Yet I must be
mad to think it
could be true,
for she is an
emperor's heiress.
1 MS. "chanbur."
8 MS. "heinne." Read
here inne." M. 8 MS. " Metynt."
32
WILLIAM PINES FOR MELIOR's LOVE.
i must be mad to
think of such a
thing.
[Foi. is.]
i dare not lay my
love so high.
i know neither
my kin nor my
country,
and i have no
friend to speak
for me."
For fer nys lord in no lond fat fe liif weldes, 712
emperour ne kud king knowen so riche,
fat sof li nere simple i-nou^ fat semly to haue.
ek witterli am i wod ' to wene swiche a f ing,
.
Jmrth a mys metyng * fat swicne a maide wold 1 1 &
j^eye hire loue so lowe lemmas me to weld.
nay, ich haue wrou^t al in wast * ac i nel na more
.,.- M
Leie mi loue so hei^e * mi ladi for to wilne,
f ou^h it nere for nou^[t] elles * but for non in erf e 720
no wot i neuer wisseli of whom i am come.
Mi-self knowe ich noint mi ken ne mi kontre noiber,
For-fi me [bi-]houes l f e buxumlier me bere,
Ofer-wise fan a wi}h fat were wif his frendes. 724
For ^if ich wrout of er-wise & it were parceyued,
& knowe were in f is kourt * mi kare were f e more.
for feibli, frend haue ich non bat [for] 2 me wold speke.
..
311 f empe?*our were wif me wrof his wraf f e forto, slake~
fer-for mi hauteyn hert bi-houes me to chast, 729-
& bere me debonureli til better mow bi-tide."
Yet her image so
dwelt m his heart,
j n j,{ g w { se
wende to haue schaped,
that it would not
away.
He left his meat,
and lay awake by
night,
and arose in the
'
but certes fat semly * sat so in his hert, 732:
for merf e of fat metyng * of melior fat schene,
fat heng heui in his hert & so hard cleued
fat, to winne al f e world a-wai wold it neuer.
but gan to studie stoundemele so stifly f er-onne, 736*
fat lelly be a litel while his langure gan wex,
so fat he momed nei^h mad * & his mete left,
p f -i . .
* iorwandref in wo * & wakef i-wisse on m^tes,
swiche listes of loue hadde lapped his hert, 740
fat he nist what bote his bale best mi^t help.
but in his mochel morning ' on a morwe he rises,
For kare fat kom to his hert & clof ed him sone,
& whan he geinliche was greif ed he gript his
1 MS. " houes ; " but see 1. 729, and the note.
2 Read "that /or me." M.
HE GOES ALONE TO A GARDEN.
32'
as a we'ijh woful he wrapped him fer-inne, 745
For no maw fat he met * his mornyng schuld knowe.
fat vnglad gom fan go)? in-to a gardin euene,
fat was a perles place for ani prince of erf e, 748
& wynli wij) heie wal l was closed al a-boute.
fat preui pleyng place to proue f e sof e,
loyned wel iustly to meliors chamber,
f ider went willmm euene wittow for sof e, 752
& vnder a tri appeltre * tok him tid 2 a sete,
fat was braunched ful brode & bar gret schadue,
& was euen vnder a windowe * of fat worf eis chaumber,
For fat wilh'am for wo was bounde so harde. 756
fat tre so fayre was floured * & so ful leued,
fat no wi^th mi^t wilham se but ^if he were f e nere.
ac will[i]am to fe window * witterli mijt sene
jif meliors wif hire maydenes in meling fere sete. 760
whan wilHam vnder fat trie tre hade taken his place,
he set his si$t sadli to fat windowe euene,
boute flecchinge or feyntise from morwe til eue.
but oft cumsed his care and his colour chaunge[d], 764
so sore longed him to se fa semly burde.
swiche a sorwe he suffred * a seue-ni^t fulle,
fat neuer maranes mete ne mi$t in his bodi sinke,
but held him finliche i-fed his fille to loke 768
on fe mayde meliors chauraber * for wham he s[o]
morned.
euer whan it nei3ed ni3t noy3ed was he sore,
fan wold he wend to his chamber 3 & gret wo make ;
but no seg fat him serued mi^t f e sofe wite 772
whi him was f anne so wo * ne where he was on dayes ;
non durst for drede * him dernly a-spie,
but lett him worche his wille * as wel as him liked,
ac deliuerly was he di3t uch day at morwe, 776
& feij>li boute felachipe * fond wold he walke,
& go in-to f e gardyn * his greues for to slake,
and went into a
garden
adjoining Melior's
chamber.
[Fol. 15 &.]
He sat beneath
her window under O~f J
an apple-tree,
so thick-leaved
that he could not
be seen.
There watched he
from morning till
He ate nothing;
but was fed with
looking his fill
towards her
chamber.
None knew why
he grieved, or
whither he weiit.
He went every
day to the garden.
1 MS. repeats " wal.'
2 See note.
3
3 MS. "chanber."
34
THE LADIES ALSO GO TO THE GARDEN.
looking towards
Melior's window,
and suffered so
that his colour
faded.
[Fol. 16.]
One day as he
watched,
780
he fell asleep.
Melior's grief had
been as great as
his,
and she asked
Alexandrine if
she had found the
herb.
" Not yet," she
said, " but let us
go into the
garden."
So they went
down the steps
into the garden.
weyj;ende to f e windowe & his wo newene,
& eike ful mani sif e * and sum time quake ;
swiche drede & dol * drou^ to his hert,
lest he ne schold neuer in world * winne fat he 3erned.
f urth f e sorwes fat he sufred ' sof forto telle,
al his cler colour comsed forto fade. 784
Febul wax he & faynt for-waked a-ni3tes,
ac no wi^t of f is world nri^t wite of his care.
but fan tid on a time as f is tale minges,
fat William went til fis gardin his wo fort 2 slake, 788
& vnder his tri appeltre turned to sitte,
as wei^h al for-waked for wo vpon ni^tes.
and as he a-weited to f e windowe wijtly fer-after,
he slod sli^li a-doun * a-slepe ful harde, 792
as a wo wery 3 wei3h * for-waked to-fore.
but menge we now of meliors * fat morned f anne
as sadli in hire si$t or sorer ^if sche mi^t,
f e loue of loueli willtam lay hire so nere. 796
f anne asked sche f is of alisauradrine * as f e hap tidde,
Ri^t as wilKam woful so was wox a-slepe,
wher sche hade gete hire gras * fat schold hire greues
hele?
" nay, madame, nou^t ^ut " seide f e maide f anne, 800
*' f ou^h haue i fele times fonded to finde it ^if i mi3t,
but ener wrou3t i in wast f e wors haf me liked.
ac were it 3our wille nowe to worche bi mi rede,
Go we to f e gardyn to gode may it turne ; 804
For feire floures schal we finde * of foulen song here,
& f urth cum fort may cacche swiche happ mai falle,
to haue f e better hele * at 3oure hom-kome."
farto fis menskful meliors mekeliche hir graunted,
Forto worche al hire wille as sche wold deuise. 809
f anne a-ros sche raddely * & romden ri3t in-fere,
& gan doun bi a grace * in-to f e gardin euene, J^
1 MS. "sufreded." Seel. 1014.
3 Or, " werjj."
2 See note.
ALEXANDRINE FINDS WILLIAM ASLEEP. 35
boute burde or barn * but hem-self tweyne. 812
for alisauttdrine anon * atteled fat time,
& knewe wel bi hire craft fat sche hade cast bi-fore,
fat fei witterli f anne schold wif wilhY/m mete.
& whan fe gaye gerles were in-to fe gardin come, 816 where were fair
Faire floures fei founde of fele maner hewes, flowers, and blithe
fat swete ! were of sauor & to fe si}t gode ;
& eche busch ful of briddes fat blif eliche song,
bof e f e f rusch & f e f rustele bi xxxti of bof e, 820
Meleden ful merye * in maner of here kinde.
& alle freliche foules * fat on fat frif songe, t Fo1 - 16 *-J
for merfe of fat may time * fei made moche noyce,
to glade wif uch gome fat here gle herde. 824 May time.
ac meliors for al fat merfe * mornede so stronge,
so harde hacches of loue here hert hadde f irled,
fat f er nas gle vnder god fat hire glade mi^t, But nothing could
but feif li fo[r] febulnesse feynt wax sche sone, 828 who sat down to
, , . , . rest under a
fat vnder a semli sikamour sche sett hire to reste, sycamore.
& fat burde hire by fat al hir bale wiste.
fan gan Meliors murcge f e meschef fat hir eyled ;
fat of er comsede to carp of cumfort & ioie, 832
& ef er muwged of f e mater * fat f ai most louede.
but alisaurcdrine ber-after * a-non bi a wile, But Alexandrine
espied William,
f ederward as willtom was wayted wel 3erne, and said,
For sche wiste wel y-now where fat he laye. 836
& f anne seide sche as swif e * to fat semly mayde,
" Madame, melior, so dere be Marie in heuene, is^me^ne^eep
Me f inkef ich se a seg a-slepe here bi-side. here >
whef er he be kni^t or bachiler wot i neuer for sof e,
ac he semes bi semblant * in sekenes ful harde. 841 u^^eTus'goand
f er-for, lady, go we loke wat seknes him eyles,
& what barn fat he be fa in bale lenges."
fe menskful mayde meliors fan mekliche saide, 844 to J"rseif,
" a ! madame, melior now mendes 3oure chere, fontls*' MeU r '
For y-wisse, 3ond is wilKam fat 36 so wel louef, wiiiiami"
>MS. "sweto."
36
WILLIAM WAKES, AND SEES MELIOR.
Quickly she ran
towards him,
[Foi. ir.]
would fain have
kissed him, but
was afraid of
sum hard hacohe has he had * & hider com to plei^e
Forto lissen his langour & lyes here a-slepe, 848
For f e swete sawour of ])ise semly floures ! "
"L^aime was bat meftskful meliors muchel y-gladed,
\J
* & gon fan to fat gome a god pas al boj>e,
& as tit as fei come him to fe sofe for to telle, 852
fei sett hem doun softly fat semly be-fore.
& wanne )> e niayde meliors mi^t se his face,
sche font f roly in herte fat leuer hire were
haue welt him at wille fan of f e world be quene ;
so fair of alle fetures f e frek was, hire fou^t. 857
<fe fayn sche wold ban in feib haue fold him in hire
860
to haue him clipped & kest kenely fat tide,
| 410 sche dred it to done for ofer derne a-spyes.
alysau?zdrine fan a-non attlede here f ou^tes,
Then Alexandrine & whtly wib here whiles * dede william to mete
caused William f
to dream,
that Meiior
brought him a
rose, which at
once cured ham.
fat fat time him f ou^t fat melior f e hende
and alysauttdrine al-one com him f o tille, 864
& f e mayde melior ful mekly him brou^t
a f u j rea i rose . an ^ re dlv it him takes.
<fc whanne he in hond hit hade hastely hit semede,
fat he was al sauf & sound of alle his sor greues. 868
& for his langor was so lissed swich likyng he hadde,
& so gretly was gladed fat he gan a-wake.
He awoke, and in & w han he seh fat semly sitte him bi-fore,
Amazement knelt J
before her, and He was al a-wondred and whtly he vp-rises,
greeted her.
87
love,-' said Meiior.
bear her 8ay
& kurteyslyche kneling fat komli he grett,
& afterward alysauradrine as he wel out.
& f e mayde melior * ful mekly fan saide,
" Mi 10Ueli SW6te lemmaw ' OUre lord 3 if
& wilKam fan vnderstod fe word fat sche saide ;
fat sche him called " leue lemman" it liked so hie hert,
J^ w ^ er ^7 ne coufe no word * long fer-after spek,
but stared on here stifly a-stoneyd for ioye, 880
WILLIAM'S CONFESSION TO ALEXANDRINE.
37
fat he cast al his colour and bi-com pale,
and eft red as rose in a litel while.
so witerly was fat word wounde to hert,
fat he ferd as a mased man an marred nei} honde, 884
so louely loue fat time lent him an arewe
hetterly f urth his hert for fat hende mayde
cald him " leue lemmas" he les al his
" dear love," and
his colour went
and came.
Love had shot an
arrow through
his heart.
T) ot alysau?*drine wiste wel ' what fat him eyled, 888
**' & seide to him soberly f ise selue words :
" swete wilh'am, seie me now what seknes f e greues ?
f i faire hewe is al fade for f i moche sore ;
& $if ich mi}t in ani maner f e amende, y wold." 892
fan wilh'am wi^tly in f is wise answered,
sikende ful sadly for sor at his hert,
" Mi dere gode damisele my def is al 3 are,
so a botteles bale * me byndef so harde, 896
nas neuer feller feuer fat euer frek hadde
for merthe & alle metes * it makes me to leve,
slepe sertes may [i] nou}t l so sore it me greues.
&-al fis mochel meschef a meting i wite, 900
fat me com on a nijt a-cursed be fat time !
for so hard hacches haue hold me sef f e,
fa i not in f e world what is me to rede."
" now swete," seide alisauradrine " seie me in what
wise 904
fat fat hache f e haldes & how it f e takes ? "
" I-wisse," seide willram " i wol it nou^t layne,
sum-time it hentis me wif hete as hot as ani fure,
but quicliche so kene a cold comes f er-after ; 908
sum time i si3h & singe samen to-geder,
& fan so froli fortes f urlen myn herte,
fat i ne wot in f e world where it bi-comse,
For feifli in my-self y fele it nou^t fanne." 912
f anne alisaundrine a-non f er-after seide,
1 Read " may nouzt." M.
Alexandrine
asked him what
sickness ailed
him.
[Fol. 17 ft.]
William answered
that his was a
sorrow without
remedy.
It was all owing*
to a dream.
" Tell me," she
answered, " hovr
the pain seizes
you."
" It sometimes
comes on as hot
as fire, and then
like a keen chill."
SHE TELLS WILLIAM HE IS IN LOVE.
" How was it all
owing to a
dream ? "
"That I will
never tell you,"
he replied.
perilous," said
Alexandrine-
[Fol. 18.]
"God help us
twain ; my sick-
ness seems like
his.
924
928
"wilh'am, i wold fe pray fatow me woldest telle
bi what cas al fi care * comsed bi a sweuene 1 "
"nai sertes, sweting," he seide "fat schal i neue?-, 916
For no meschef on molde fat me may falle !
I haue leuer it layne & f is langour f ole,
f e^h i for dreeing of f is duel deie at f e last ;
f er schal [no] wi^th of f e world wite whi it comsed ! "
Your sickness is f anne seide alisandrine " auntrose is bin euel, 921
jrilous." said r
ful wonderliche it f e weues wel i wot fe sof e."
" ^a i-wisse," seide willmm * " wonderli me greues,
for my seknes wif my si^tes * sumtime slakes,
& mani times dof me mourne mor fan to-fore."
Melior fat milde mayde * in f e mene tyme f ou$t,
& seide softily to hire-self f ise selue wordes,
" a ! gracious god grettest of us alle,
tak hede to fin hond-werk & help now vs tweyne !
For sertes, f is same sekenes * mi-self it holdes
In alle wise as it dof wilHam & wors, as ich wene.
& fouh ich se fat is sekenes sore hit him haldes, 932
for pitously he is a-peyred fat perles was to sijt
of fairnesse and of fasoun * fat ani frek schold haue
but weilawey ! fat he ne wist * what wo y drye,
& haue do lelly for is lone a wel long while ! 936
& but he wi^tly wite y-wisse, y am done ;
For y dar nou^t for schame * schewe him mi wille,
but $if he wold in ani wise * him-self schewe formest."
while Meliors in here maner mened to hire-selue, 940
alysauwdrine a-non * attlede alle here f ou^tes,
sche knewe wel bi kuntenaunce of kastyng of lokes.
fan wi3tly to wilh'am f ise wordes sche sede,
" I see wel be fi semblant what seknesse fe eyles, 944
and told William hele bou it neuer [sol hard ! al holliche y knowe,
she felt sure he
was in love. fat it ben lestes of loue * fat f e so hard helden ;
If he only knew
what I suffer ! "
Alexandrine
perceived all by
their looks ;
f ou waltres al in a weih * & wel y vnderstande
whider f e belaunce bremliest bouwes al-gate.
1 Read " neuer so hard." M. See the next line.
948
SHE PROMISES TO CURE HIM SOON.
39
and sef f e y se it is so sof li y f e warne,
I wol a litel and lite] laskit in hast."
fan william wel vnderstod * sche wist what him eilede,
& knew al is kqueyne for ou^t he kouf e hide, 952
he was a-drad to f e def * last sche him dere wold.
fan sette he him on knes * & soft seyde hire tille,
" Mercy, menskful mayde for Marie loue of heuene !
I gif me al in fi grace * my greues to help, 956
For f ou mi^t lengf e mi liif }if f e likes sone."
fan alysaundrine a-non answered & saide,
" how mi^t i f e help 1 what haue i to f i bote ? "
"I-wisse," fan seyde wilKam * "i wol no lenger hele, 960
My liif, my langor, & my dej> lenges in f i warde ;
but i f e sunner haue socour of fat swete mayde,
f e comliche creature * fat in f i keping dwelles,
alle the surgens of salerne ne schul saue mi Hue. 964
f er-for loueliche ladi in f e lis al min hope,
f ou mi3t me spakly [saue] [ of er spille $if f i-self likes."
Then was he sore
afraid, and krelt
to her,
and prayed her to
help him.
" How can I help
you ? " she
inquired.
Fol. 18 6.]
Unless I have
some comfort
from you, sweet
maid, I shall
surely die."
A lysauralrine a-non f anne answered & sayde,
**: "now i-wisse, willmm witow for sofe, 968
Sef f e f ou sadli hast me said )?e sojje of ]?i cuwsaile,
& tellest me treuly J?ou trestes to my help,
}if i mi^t in ani maner mende ])i sorwe,
but i were busi J>er a-boute to blame i were. 972
jjer-for certes, be foil sur * sej? it may be no ojjer,
holliche al min help fou schalt haue sone."
fan william was gretliche glad * & loueliche hire fonked.
fan alisauTidrine a-now * as sche wel coufe, 976
clepud fat mayde meliors * mekeliche hir tille,
& seide, " a mercy, madame on f is man here,
fat ne^h is driue to f e def al for youre sake ! "
" how so for my sake 1 " seide melior f anne ; 980
" I wraf ed him neuer fat i wot in word ne in dede."
" no sertes, madame, fat is sof " saide fat ofer,
1 Eead " spakly saue other spille." M.
" Since you have
told me the truth
and trust me, I
were to blame not
to help you.
You shall have aL
my help."
Then Alexandrine
called Melior to
her, saying, "Pity
this man, who is
near death for
thy sake ;
40
WILLIAM AXD MELIOR ARE BETROTHED.
who has
languished for
thy love a long
Take him for thy
[Foi. 19.]
"To save his life,
I will grant him
my love."
Then William
thanked God
heartily,
were pledged to
each other.
Then they clasped
other, "and told
each other of their
Bufferings.
Alexandrine
thought she
" ac he has langured for sour loue a ful long while :
c
& but ^e graunt him }our grace him greif li to help,
& late him be $our lemman lelly for euer, 985
his liif nel nou^t for langour last til to-morwe.
j/erfor, comeliche creature for crist fat f e made,
les nou^t is liif $ut * for a litel wille. 988
^^ he SQ J el jy j, e l oueg . to l emmm fa m j, ou take."
fan ineliors ful mekliche to fat mayde carped,
and seide ful soburli smyland a litel,
" nou bi god fat me gaf f e gost & fe soule, 992
* ke P e 3 ut for no creature ' manquellere be clepud,
aC ^ 6U6r m6 W61>e * e ^ ' a manes ^ to saue '
sef f e he for me is so marred & has misfare long,
ful prestely for f i praire & for ]?e perile als, 996
j>at i se him set inne and to saue his Hue,
hferle i graunt him grebli on godis holi name,
L /
lelliche mi loue for euer al mi lif time,
& gif a gift here to god & to his gode moder, 1000
)?at oj>er lud, whil i Hue schal i loue neuer ! "
whan willmm herd bise wordes * i hete be forsobe,
he kneled quikli on knes & oft god Jionked, 1003
& seide, " god ! fat madest man & al middel-erfe,
a mi^ti miracle for me * hastow wrou^t noj>e."
ban meked he him to meliors * on alle maner wise,
as ]je gladdest gom * fat euer god wrou3t.
& sche sertes bi hire side fe same him graunted, 1008
to worche wij> hire al his wille * as he wel liked.
fan eifer hent ofer * hastely in armes,
& wif kene kosses kuffed hem to-gidere, 1011
,. ,, .. 1,1 111
so fat no mwrf e upon mold no mi^t hem bet haue lyked.
& tit f anne told eche til ofer here tenes & here sorwe,
fat sadly for eif ers sake hadden sufficed long.
fanne alisau?idrine anon attlede be so be,
7
^ at ^ re ma ^ stres * }*& man ' no schuld hire noujt
misse, 1016
f e^h sche walked a while wide from here si}t,
AT SUNSET THE LADIES GO AWAY.
41
1024
1028
for sche trowed trewly to talke f e sof e,
were sche out of f e weye * fat wilKam wold fonde
for to pleie in fat place f e priue loue game,
& to hete here fan 1 to layke here likyng fat time.
sche gof a-houte in-to f e gardyn for to gader floures,
& to wayte fat no wei3h walked f er-inne,
for drede of descuueryng of fat was do fere.
wilKam wel wif meliors * his wille fan dede,
& layked fere at lyking al f e long daye,
til f e suftne was nei3h set sof li, to reste.
f anne alisaurzdrine at arst * fan antresse hem tille,
& mekly to meliors " madame," fan sche seide,
" haue 36 geten f e gras fat i 3ou geynliche hi3t ?
I trowe trewli he fis time 3our sorwe he passed ;
eifer of 3ou, as y leue is god leche til ofer, 1032
alle f e surgyens of salerne so sone ne couf en
haue 3our langowes a-legget * i leue for sof e."
fan wilKam wax wi3tly wonderli a-schamed,
& he & meliors mercy mekly hire criede 1036
to kuuere wel here cuwseile for cas in fis erf e,
& f roli hire f onked rnoni f ousand sif es ;
" For sche hade hrou3t hem of hale * hof e," f ei seide,
" & i-lengfed here lif mani long 3ere." 1040
A lisaundrine anon - after fat ilke
-^*- had meliors manly here merf e fan stinte,
& seide, " it is so nei3h ni3t fat nedes mote ye parte ;
I drede me of descuuering * for 36 haue dwelled long."
"alias! fis mochel meschef" * saide melior fanne, 1045
" fis day is schorter to si$t * fan it semed euere ! "
& william seide f e same sof li fat time,
hut alisaundrine anon * answerede & seide, 1048
" Make 36 no mourning for 30 may mete eft
dernli hennes-forf eche day * whan 3ou dere likes ;
for-f i hasteli hof e hei^e 3011 a-sunder."
1 Read " & to-gedere fan " (?) But see note.
and had better
withdraw.
She went away
to gather flowers,
and to watch that
no one came
there.
Just before sun-
set, Alexandrine
returned.
[Fol. 19 b.l
and asked them if
they both felt
they were cured.
They prayed her
to keep their
counsel, and
thanked her
often.
She warned
Melior that it
was near night,
who lamented the
shortness of the
day.
She reminded
them that they
might meet again*
42
THE DUKE OF SAXONY DECLARES WAR.
so they kissed,
and took leave of
each other, and
returned happy,
qu r ite h curld' e
William was
beloved both by
nch and poor, and
especially by the
emperor.
[Foi. 20.]
f anne sei} f ei no socour but sunder f anne f ei moste ;
w ju dipping & kessing bei kaiwt here leue, 1053
* rr
& eiber tok tit is way to his owne chau?ftber,
blisful for f ei were botned of here bales strong,
sef f en hastely were J>ei hoi & haden alle here wille.
wif alle listes of loue alle longe ^eres 1057
priueli vnperceyued f ei pleyed to-gedere,
fat no seg vnder sunne souched no gile.
so wel was wilKam bi-loued wib riche & wib pore, 1060
r r
so fre to feffe alle frekes * wib ful faire liftes,
fat f emperour sof li him-self soueraynli him loued,
& seffe alle ofer seges fat sei^en him wif ei3en;
& algate alisaundrme at aUe poyntes hem serued 1064
so sli^liche, Jjat no seg souched non euele,
but alle gauew god word to gomes fat hem plesede.
Now it befell that
the Duke of
" Saxony made
war on the
emperor of Rome.
assaults.
and sent mes-
sengers to all his
lords
to come to him
after bi time as f e tale miwges,
dou^ti duk of saxoyne drow to fat londe 1068
wif ouer-gart gret 1 ost * godmen of armes,
wrongly forto werre wif f emperour fat time.
& wif bobaunce & wif bost brent fele tounes,
no strengf e him wif-stod of sad stonen walles, 1072 j
but bet a-doun burwes & brutned moche peple, *&
so fat duel was to deme f e duresse fat he wrou^t.
whanne fese tyding were told to f emperour of rome, /0 ^^. 1 V
he was gretly a-greued 2 no gome fort him blame, 1076
fat eni wei3h of f e world * schuld werre on his lond.
his sondes f anne he sente swif e al a-boute
to alle f e lordes of his land * to lasse & to more,
fat ou3ten him omage or ani seute elles, 1080
& warned hem werfore he wi^tly hem of-sent,
& het hem alle hi^e fider as harde as f ei mi3t,
wel warnished for f e werre * wif clene hors & armes.
whanne femperours komauwdmewt * was kud al a-
boute, 1084
1 MS. "oiwr gart gret ;" see note.
MS. "a-greuea.
THE EMPEROR ASKS ADVICE OP HIS LORDS.
43
Mani was fat bold barn fat busked f ider sone,
kinges & kud dukes & kni^tes ful gode,
& of er bold burnes a-boute sexti f ousand,
alle boutt to batayle in ful bri3t armes.
and ri^t in-to rome alle f e rinkes drowe,
to wite f emperours wille how he wirche f ou^t.
Kings, dukes,
knights, and men
came to him,
60,000 in all; and
1088 all ready for
battle.
T TThanne wilU'am fat worf i child wist of fat fare,
was no glader gom fat euer god made, 1092
he went euen to f emperour * & enys him sayde,
knelyng on his kne curteysli & faire,
" Gode sir, for goddis loue grant me a bone ;
3if me f e ordur of kni^t to go to f is dedus, 1096
& i hope to heuene king mi help schal nou^t fayle,
fat i nel manly wif mi n^t meynte[ne] ^our rijt."
f emperour was gretly glad * & graunted his wille,
& made him kni3t on the morwe & mo for his sake.
of proude princes sones dou^ti men toward, 1101
Fulle foure schore for williames loue,
& 3af hem hors & armes as an hend lord schold,
& made wilh'am here wardeyn * as he wel xni^t, 1104
to gye & to gouerne * f e gay yong kni^tes.
& whanne f empe[r]ours ost was holli a-sembled,
he told to-fore f e grete his tene & his harmes,
how fe duk of saxoyne dede him gret wrong, 1108
brent his nobul burwes & his burnes quelled,
& komande hem kendely here cu?iseile to ^eue,
In what wise were best * to wreke him f anne.
& alle seide at o sawe * "sire, we $ou rede, 1112
strecches forf wif ^our ost stintef no lenger,
& fondes to do f e duk what duresse 36 may.
hampres him so harde to sum cost fat be drawe,
When William
heard of it, he
was very glad.
[Fol. 20 6.]
and prayed the
emperor to grant
him a boon, viz.
to knight him.
The emperor
gladly knighted
both him and 80
others, making
William their
warden.
sewes him to sum cite * & a-sege him fere,
til 36 wif fin. fors f e freke haue wonne."
1116
The emperor tells
his men what
harm the king of
Saxony has done,
and asks their
advice.
They advise him
to pursue the
duke to some city,
and shut him up
there.
W
hanne f emperour wist wel bfel wille of his cun- They set out.
* L J well furnished
with provisions.
44
PREPARATIONS FOR THE BATTLE.
They soon came
to where the duke
was.
The duke sends to
defy
[FoL 21.]
and challenge the
emperor.
The emperor tells
William of this
challenge.
William says he
hopes they will
abate the duke's
pride.
Both hosts pre-
pare for the
battle.
he di}t him deliuerly & dede him on gate
holly wif al his herde fat he hade a-sembled. 1120
& wel f ei were warnestured of viiayles i-now,
plentiuosly for al peple to passe where f ei wold.
& so harde f ei hi^ed fan i hote f e for sof e,
fat al fe clene curapanye com to fe place 1124
nei} fere as f e dou^ti duk duresse so wrou^t.
to f e duk was it told tit * trewli f e sof e,
how f emperour wif ost l ' f ider was come,
to a-wreke him of f e wrong fat fan was wrou^t fere,
& swife for bobaur^ce & bost burnes he sent 1129
enuiously to f emperour & egged him swife
bi a certayne day bataile to a- bide,
or elles, he sent him to say schortely he wold 1132
bruttene alle hise burnes & brenne his londes.
f ise tyding were told to f emperour sone,
& wi^tly whan he f anne wist willi^m he calle[d], 2
fat 3ong bold bachiler & bliue him told 1136
how despitously f e duk of fat dede him warned,
to be boun be a certayne day batayle to holde.
sir willmm ful wisly f ise wordes fanne seide,
" sir, god for his grace graurct ^ou wel to spede, 1140
to a-bate f e bost of fat breme duke.
& so hope i wel, sire we schal atte best."
ful menskfully to f e messangeres f emperour fan seide,
he wold be boun blef eli f e bold batayle to hold, 1144
& f ei bliue dude hem forf & f e duk tolde.
fan bofe parties prestly a-paraylde hem fat time
of alle tristy a-tir fat to batayle longed,
& made hem alle merie in fe mene while, 1148
til f e selue day fat was set sof ly was come,
& bofe partyes here place pertiliche hade chosen
In a ful fayre feld \feifly to telle.
fanne busked fei here batayles on fe best wise, 1152
1 MS. has a blank space between "ost" and " fider ;" see note.
2 Read " called." M.
WILLIAM'S FIERCE ONSET ON THE FOE. 45
& whanne f e renkes were arayed redly as f ei wold,
bugles & bemes men gun blowe fast, S^tl 8 ^
& alle maner menstracie fere was mad f anne, blown.
forto hardien fe hertes of here liei^h burnes. 1156
panne bi-gan f e batayle breme for f e nones ; The batt1e begin3 -
Mani strok in litel stourade * sternely was f er ^euen,
& mani a bold burne sone brou^t of line.
but schortly for to telle fe schap of fis tale, 1160
be duk hade be doustiere me?* to deme be sof e, The duke>s men
were most
& mani mo jjan pemperour * & pei so manly fou^ten, numerous.
fat balfully pe ferst batayle pel brutned to def e,
& fai ful fast for fere gurcne fle fan fat mi^t ; 1164
but be almaims seweden sadly * & slowe dourc rhtes. CFoi. 21 &.]
The Almayns
whan f emperour say fat si^t * his men so i-quelled, prevail against
him was wonderli wo * witow for sof e.
ful pitousli fan preiede he to fe prince of heuene 1168
forto giif him grace his gomes to saue,
& seide, " hei^h king of heuene for f i holy name,
ne fauore nou$t so my [fo] [ fat falsly me so marres.
for god what 2 , i na gult him neuer to gif lam enche- cause>
soun 1172
forto wirch me no wrong ne werre on my londe.
& lord ! he is my lege man lelly f ou knowes,
for holly f e londes fat he has * he holdes of mi-selue,
f er-for f e wronger he wirches al f e world may know,
for-fi a mynde on me, lord for fi moder loue, 1177
help me haue f e herre hand her-affter in my ri^t ! "
TTTilKcmi f e ^ong kni^t was so nei^h be-side,
bat he herd be pytous pleint bat bemperour made, wmiam hears
' him, and calls to
& siked for sorwe fer-of * sore wif-alle. 1181 his men
but quicly clepud he f e ^ong knifes alle,
& seide, " leue lordinges lestenes to mi sawe ;
nouj go we kife oure kni3thod -for cn'stes lone of p^te theS me to
heuene, 1184 k i s hthood -
1 Bead " my/<* that falsly." M. 8 8io. Eead " wot."
46
WILLIAM IS TAKEN, BUT RESCUED.
William's fierce
onset.
He slays six of
the greatest with
his own hand,
including the
duke's nephew
and his steward.
[Fol. 22.]
The duke is mad
with wrath, and
points out
William to his
men.
They rush oflf to
attack William,
who is at last
overpowered and
captured.
Lo, oure folk ginnep to falle * for defaute of help.
lettes nou3t for 3oure liues 3our lord forto socoure,
hasteli wip god hert nou3 hi3es 3ou to pe dede, 1187
& ho-so failep for feyntyce * wild fur him for-brenne ! "
pan wi3tly boute mo wordes wilk'am ginnes ride,
fresly toward here fos * as frek out of witte ;
pere pe pres was perelouste he pn'ked in formest,
& blessed so wip his bri3t bront * a-boute in eche side,
pat what rink so he rau3t * he ros neuer after. 1193
& sopli forto seie * wip-inne a schort while,
wilh'am wip his owne hond so wi3tliche pleide,
pat he slow six of pe grettes[t] sop forto telle, 1196
& pat dottiest were of dede of pe dukes ost.
pat on was his neuew a nobul kni3t of armes,
pat oper was his stiward pat s^tled al his meyne.
pe optir were lordes of pat lond * lelly of pe best. 1200
& whanne pe duk was Avar how willzam him demeyned,
& how balfully he brutned Ips burnes to depe,
& nameliche for his newe pat nam he most to herte,
he wax nei3 ou3t of his witte for wrap & for anger,
& clepud on his kni3tes pat kene were & nobul, 1205
& seide, " lordinges, for my loue no lenger ne stintes,
but chases pat kene knijt pat pis kare vs werches.
Loo, how luperly pat lud leyes on oure burnes, 1208
non may is sterne strok wipstande pat he hittes."
pus despitusly fie duk drayed him panne,
pat his kni3tes swipe swore * what [so] it bi-tidde,
pei wold winne wilKam wijtly oper quik or dede. 1212
pan ride to-gedere a gret route of rinkes ful nobul,
& went euen to sir wilh'am & wonderli him bi-sette ;
ac he wip dou3ti dentes defended him long,
but, sopliche for to telle so was he ouer-macched, 1216
pat pei wip fyn force for-barred his strokes,
& wouradede him wikkedly & wonne him of his stede,
& bounden him as bliue him bale to wirche,
& drowen him toward pe duk his dom forto hero.
HE TAKES THE DUKE PRISONER. 47
but willmm whhes bat whtly of-sehyen, 1221 Butwmiam's
men come to his
& demened hem do^tili * dintes te dele, rescue,
f e 3ong kene ki^tes so kudden here strengf e,
fat fei wonne hem wijtly weyes ful large, 1224
til fei hadde perced f e pres pertily to here maister,
& rescuede him rediliche for ! rinkes fat him ladden. unbind him.
fan fei him vnbond bliue & broi^t him his stede,
& triliche was he a-tired in ful tristy armes ; 1228
his scheld on his schulder a scharp swerd in honde.
& whan f is wilKam was 3are he waited him a-boute, wmiam S renew8 ''
lef erly as a lyoun he lepes in-to f e prese, the attack> f
prestly fer as fe pres * of peple was fikkest. 1232
f anne lente he swiche leuere to ledes fat he of-
rau^t,
fat f e lif sone he les fat lau^t ani dint,
& euer ban drow he to be duk deland swiche paye. i*i- 22 M
cutting his way
& as sone as he him seia he sesed a spere, 1236 through to the
duke.
& dressed him to J>e duk presteli to iuste.
& whan fe duk was war fat he wold come, encounters him
boute feyntice of feuer 2 * he festned his spere,
& grimly wif gret cours ei^fer gerdef ofer. 1240
& wilK#m wif god wille so wel f e duk hitt,
fat f urth scheld & scholder f e scharpe spere grint,
& hetterly bof e hors & man he hurled to fa grouwle, wuiiam hurls
fanne li^tlylep he a-doun & Iau3t out his brond, 1244 ground.
& deliuerliche to f e duk deuoteliche he seide,
"sire, fou seidest me 3er-while fou schuldest me do Sh^i^thank-
o n P! 1 P ful for his wn
escape,
& madest f i men me binde meschef to f ole ;
but gretly y fonk god fat gart me a-chape, 1248
& dede f e wante f i wille for fou wrong f outest.
but, sire, in f e same seute sett artow nou^,
& y am prest as f i prisou7^ to paye f e my ransum !
$eld fe to me ^eply or 3erne fou schalt deie, 1252
Yor alle fe men vpon mold ne mow it now lette." mercy
Head " fro." Eead " boute feyntice, on feuter " (?)
48
THE ROMANS ROUT THE SAXONS.
The duke yields
up his sword, and
asks for mercy.
William takes his
sword, and takes
him to the
emperor,
who embraces
and kisses William
for joy.
Then William
delivered the duke
to the emperor.
[FoL 23.]
The duke's men
fled away as fast
as they could.
The Romans
pursued them,
slaying and
taking prisoners,
so that very few
of them got
away.
Night fell, and it
grew very dark,
and some got
away in the
darkness.
T*e duk fan was in drede & wend to deie sone,
- & lelly, f ou^h him lof f ou^t no lenger to striue,
swife he jald vp his swerd to saue f anne his Hue, 1256
& seide, " marc, for f i mensk haue mercy on me nouf e,
lette me noujt lese f e liif jut lord, y f e bi-cheche."
f anne will-tain witly as a wijh hende,
receyued of fat riche duk * realy his swerde, 1260
& euen to fempmnir wif him fan he hi^ed.
wanne f emperour seijh wilh'am come & wif him f e
duke,
he was on fe gladdest gome fat mijt go on erf e ;
& willwtm f anne to welkome * he wendes him ajeynes,
& clipte him kindeli & kest fele sifes. 1265
fan wilh'am wijtly as he wel couf e,
profered him fat prisoner prestely at his wille
to do fan wif fe duk what him dere foujt. 1268
f emperour fat worf i wilh'am wel oft fan f onked
of f e grete grace fat god godliche fere schewede,
& strokes was f er delt na mo fram f e duk was take.
For al his folk fan gu/me fle as fast as fei mijt, 1272
& he fat hadde best hors fan held him best saued.
but f emperours men manly made f e chace,
& slowen doun bi eche side wham fei of-take mijt,
but jif fei manly hem meked mercy to crie. 1276
& euer wilh'am so wijtly went hem a-mong
to f e boldest burnes as he bi-fore hadde,
fat sof ly dar y seie f urth his socour f anne,
Bljt fewe went a-wey * vn-woundet or take. 1280
ac hadde f e day last lenger lelli to seye,
no wijt a-wei hadde schaped * i wot wel f e sof e.
but f e ni3t was so neijh fat non rnijt sen of er
fe furfe del of a furlong * from him fat time. 1284
& in fat derk f e dukes [men] l wif -drow hem manie,
& ho-so hardest mijt hije held him noujt bi-giled.
f emperour 2 wif nioche merf e his men fan meled ;
1 Bead " the dukes men." -M. 2 MS. " fempour."
THE SAXONS SUBMIT TO THE EMPEROE.
& whanne fei same/I were a-sembled sof for to telle,
fei hadde take fat time of trie grete lordes 1289
Fulle fiue hundered of ful nobul prisouns,
wif-oute alle f e burnes fat in batayle deide.
fan was f emperour greteli glad & ofte god f onked,
& williams werk fat he so wel hadde spedde. 1293
& holliche f anne wif his host hi^ede to here tentes
wif merf e of alle menstracye & made hem attese,
& turned to rest at time * til erliche a morwe. 1296
& wanne fei were a-rise fei remewed to cherche,
& herden holly here masse & afterward sone
f emperour al holliche his cuwseyle dede clepe,
& sone bi here a-sent at fat selue time, 1 300
E^t as william wold fat wisly him radde,
alle f e dou^thi lordes of f e dukis were take ;
he dede fecche hem him bi-fore & freyned hem swif e,
}if fei wold of him holly halde alle here londes. 1 304
& fei graunted godli ful glad of fat sawe,
& alle anon ri^tes fere omage him dede,
& f emperour wel loueliche deliuered hefw] f enne,
& sonte wif hem sondes to saxoyne fat time, 1308
& nomen ornage in his name * nou^t forto layne,
Forto ri^tleche fat reaurne real * of riche & of pore.
whanne fat dede was do dernly at wille,
and alle lele lawes in fat lond sette, 1312
& alle f e peple held hem payed pes forto haue ;
whanne f emperour it wist he was wel a-payed,
& loueliche wif alle his lordes to lumbardie fares,
wif alle f e merf e vpow molde fat man mi^t diuise ;
but feifli his felachipe forf wif him he hadde. 1317
f e dou^ty duk of saxoyne f e duel fat he made,
for his peple was slayn & to prison take,
& wist fan he hade wrongly wroi^t f u^th his pride ;
& swiche duel drow to hert for his dedus ille, 1321
fat he deide on f e fifte day to talke f e sof e.
whanne f emperour fat wist * wi^tly he comanded,
4
Five hundred had
been taken, and
many slain.
The Romans
retire to their
tents.
Next morning,
ttey go to church
and hear mass.
The prisoners are
brought, and
asked if they will
submit to the
emperor.
LFoL 23 ftj
They gladly do
him homage, and
are released.
All being thus
settled as
regarded Saxony,
the emperor
marched to
Lombardy.
The duke of
Saxony felt such
grief for the
wrong he had
done.
that he died on
the fifth day.
50
THE EMPEROR'S MESSAGE TO MELIOR.
He is buried
honourably.
The emperor
returns to Rome,
fending mes-
sengers before
him to his
daughter.
greet Melior, and
tell their
[Fol. 24.]
Melior asks if the
enemy gave
them much
trouble,
and they say, it
was a very sharp
encounter.
The duke's
numerous host
would have
prevailed, but for
ihe succour of a
certain knight,
L e. William, the
one but newly
knighted.
to burye him as out to be swiche a burne uobul,
wif alle worchipe & wele j ' so was he sone. 1 1325
fan remued f emperour toward rome euene,
& wi^tly william wif him fat was wounded sore ;
but lelly nobul leches * loked to his woundes, 1328
fat seide he schuld be sauf * & sweteliche heled.
messangers ful manly f emperour fanne sente,
by-fore to his dere doubter to do hire to wite
fat he come wif his companie as 2 crist wold, al saf.
f e messangeres ful manly to meliors fanne spedde,
& gretten hire godli whan fei fat gode seie, 1334
& mynged here message to fat mayde hende,
how kir fader in helf e horn wold come
feifli wif-inne f e fourtene-ni^t wif his frekes bold.
Gret merfe to fe messangeres meliors fan made, 1338
for f e tidy tidinges fat ti^tly were seide.
" nou3, faire frendes, be 3our feif fond 30 ani lette
of segges of f e of er side fat sette 3ou a-geynes ? "
" o madame ! " seide f e messageres " what mele 36
nouf e 1
sef f e crist deide on f e croyce mankinde to saue,
30 ne herde neuer, y hope of so hard a cuwter, 1344
ne of so fele burnes at on batayle slayne ! "
" telles how 3ou tidde " seide meliors fanne.
" Madame," seide f e messageres " be marie in heuen,
f e duk hadde so gret an host of gode men of armes,
fat sofli al oure side * sone slayn hadde bene, 1349
nadde f e socour of o seg fat in oure side dwellef ,
fat ha]? lengf ed al oure [Hues] 3 leue 36 forsof e,
Jmrth fe dou3ti dedes fat he haf do fere." 1352
"swete sire, what is he ?" fat seide meliors sone.
" I-wisse," he seide, " it is willmm fat is newe kni3ted,
he may lelly be hold a lord & ledere of peples,
Forto weld al fe world to wisse & to rede, 1356
1 This line and the preceding one are transposed in the MS.
2 MS. al." 3 Read " al oure Hues." M. Cf. 1. 1360.
MELIOR'S JOY AT HEARING ABOUT WILLIAM. 51
for per nis king vnder crist pat he ouer-com nolde.
I-wisse, nade his werk be we mow nouat for-sake, But for him - the
battle would Lave
pi fader and al his folk so misfaren hadde, been lost.
pat alle here Hues in a stounde hadde be lore." 1360
panne told pei hire tijtly al pe trewe sope,
at how miche meschef here men were formest,
& sebbe how wiatly willmm went to here foos, But wuiiam
attacked and took
& dede deliuerly nym pe duk to talke pus formest ; the duke.
& seppe pe grettesft] lordes he garte here liif 'tine, 1365
& also pei told trewli how he was take him-selue, He was once
taken himself,
& reddely wib his owne rinkes rescued after : l butnis men
rescued him.
& seppe what dedes he dede he tok pe selue duk, 1368
and brou^t purth is bolde dedes pe batayle to hende ;
& sepen how be duk for duel * deyde in here ward, The duke had
died of pure grief.
& how al saxoyne was set wip wel sadde lawes,
to wirche here faderes wille pur^th william dedes.
& whan pis tale was told meliors tyt seide, 1373
" leue lordinges, for my loue * lelly me telles,
comes pat willmm wip my fader & weldes his hele ? " ghe [ ^ ? f 4 6>1
" ^e sertes, madame," seide ]?ei " he sewes ^our fader ; ^ m ^ m h ^ e
but wel weldes he nou3t his hele for wonded was he ^^ her father -
sore, 1377
J>at greiien him gretly but god may do bote."
" For mary loue," seide meliors " mai he be heled ? "
"^a certes, madame he is so sounde nowjje, 1380 They said he was
Jjat he may redly ride & rome whan jjat him likes." and weii. though
,._ .. he had been
Meiiors to pe messageris ]>an made gret loye, wounded.
for Jre tyding pat pei told touchend hire fader.
but i hote pe, in hert sche hade swiche blisse, 1384 Meiior w very
glad to hear of
pat neuer wommaw in pis world * mi^t weld more, wniiam's doughty
for hire louely lemmaw * hade swiche los wonne,
to bere him best in pat batayle wip so breme dedus.
panne made pei hem [merie] 2 to make schorttale, 1388
1 The MS. has "rescued him after" ; but either wn> or him
must be struck out.
2 The alliteration would lead us to supply merie M. Sec
1. 1409.
4
52
AN EMBASSY FROM THE GREEK EMPEROR.
After a week, the
emperor arrives.
Melior goes out to
meet him,
kissing her father,
and William
afterwards.
She whispered to
William to come
to her chamber.
The Romans
make great joy,
only lament for
their friends
slain.
[Fol. 25.]
William went to
Melior when he
saw opportunity.
Alexandrine kept
their counsel well.
One Easter-tide,
the emperor
summons all his
lords and ladies.
soply al pat seueni^t ; & so, atte last,
pemperour & alle peple * to his palays come ;
Receyued was he of romaynes realy as lord.
panne meliors ful mekly wip maydenes fele, 1 392
ferde out a-^ens hire fader & faire him gret,
& hire louely lemmaw lelly next after,
& made hem as moche ioye * as mi^t any burde ;
Kyndeliche clipping and kessing hire fader, 1396
& wip a curteise cuwtenaunce * wilKam next after,
for no seg pat it seye schuld schoche but gode.
but pnueli un-perceyued sche praide wilKam panne,
to seche softily to hire chaumber * as sone as he mi^t.
& he bi quinte contenance * to come he granted, 1401
for he ne durst openly for ouer-trowe of gile ;
but wel sche knew purth konnyng at pat cas his wille.
to long mater most it be to myng al pe ioye, 1404
& pe real romayns array * foi here lordes sake,
& pe mochel mornyng pei made for here frendes,
whanne pei wist witterly whiche in batayle deyde.
but confort for pe conquest pei caujt sone after, 1408
& made hem as mery * as ani men coupe. 1
& wilKam went to meliors whan he sei^ time,
& layked him at likyng wip pat faire burde
pleyes of paramo ws vn-parceyued longe time, 1412
so sliliche, pat no seg * scouched non ille.
but algate alysaundrine atte wille hem serued,
pat non knew here cunseile but pei pre one.
"Hut panne tidde on a time titly per-after, 1416
' pemperour erded stille in rome at pe ester tide,
& for pat solempne sesoura 2 dede somourc alle pe grete,
of lordes & ladies pat to pat lond partened.
and alle to his comandemewt comen ful sone, 1420
& derly at pat day wip deynteyes were pei serued.
as pei were meriest at mete to menge al pe sope,
Catchword" & willtom."
2 MS. "eofou. 1
LORD ROACHA8 GIVES THE MESSAGE. 53
xxx busy burnes barounes ful bolde, As th y feasted,
30 men came from
comen in manly message * fro femperour of grece,, 1424 the emperor of
& bi kinde of kostant-noble keper was f anne.
f e messageres ri^t realy * were arayde, for sof e,
al in glimerand gold gref and ! to ri^tes, a11 richl y attired
It were tor for to telle al here atyr riche. 1428
but euer to f emperour alle f ei ^ede in-fere,
& kurtesliche vpora here knes * f ei komsed him grete
Godli fro f emperour of grece & fro his gode sone.
& f emperour ful semly seide to hem banne, 1432 The emperor
1 greets them, and
" he fat made man mest ^our Hues mot saue, asks their
& alle ^oure clene cowpanie crist ^if hew ioye
for J>e menskfulles[t] messageres * fat euer to me come ! "
n of fe barons bold bi-guwne to schewe here nedes,
fat was a gret lord in grece roachas he hi3t, 1437
& seide soberly to bemperour * in bis selue wise. A great lord,
named RoaChns,
" Leue lord & hides lesten to mi sawes ! replies
fe gode emperour of grece fe grettest of us alle, 1440
whas messageres we be mad * to muwge 3011 his wille,
sendes you to seie * he has a sone dere, ^ the em P eror
J of Greece has a
on f e triest man to-ward * of alle dou^ti dedes, d ar >n
fat any man vpon molde * may of here, 1444
fat schal be emperour after him of heritage bi kynde.
& he haf oft herde sayd of ^oure semly doubter, emperor after
how fair, how fetis sche is * how freli schapen ; 1447
& for f e loos on hire is leide & loue of ^our-selue,
he prayeth, lord, vowche-sauf * fat his sone hire wedde. JjJ^ wl j|^ 1 J >
Grucche nou^t f er-a-gayn but godli, i rede,
Graunte f is faire forward fulfillen in haste.
& 3if ye so dof , i dar seie & sofliche do proue, 1452
sche schal weld at wille more gold ban ae siluer : she ta *o have
more gold than ye
& haue n4o solempne cites and semliche casteles, havesUver.
]>an 36 treuly han smale tounes o[r] vnty^di houses , sY+t*
& herof, sire, \ri$t\y ' 3our wille wold we kuowe. 1450
1 We ought probably to read greithed. M.
54
WILLIAM HEARS HOW MELIOB
AS the emperor's
lords are all there,
he can give his
answer at once.
He and his lords
The marriage is
to be made at
Midsummer.
The messengers
return to Greece,
loaded with gifts.
The report of the
marriage is
spread through
play,
[Foi. 26.]
and rode home,
feeUng well-nigh
He went to bed
and fell sick.
All who heard of
it were much
grieved.
f e grete lordes of 3our land bef lenged now here,
36 mow wi^tly now wite ^our wille & ^our rede,
& wi^tly do vs to wite what answere $ou likes." 1459
f emperour calde his curtseil for to knowe here wille,
& godli boute grucching alle graunted sone,
& setten a serteyne day fat solempte to holde ;
& sad seurte was sikered on bof e sides f anne,
fat menskful mariage to make at midesomer after. 1464
sone were f e messagers made mildli at ese,
while hem liked lende & lelly, whan f ei wente,
Grete ^iftes were giue & of gold & of seluer,
& fei wi3tly went horn wif ioye & wif merfe. 1468
f e answere of here herend f emperour fei tolde ;
Gret nmrf e was mad for fat message in rome,
& f e word went wide * how f e mayde was 3eue
rifliche furth-out rome & eche a rynk was blife 1472
fat f e milde meliors so mariede scholde bene
to f emperours eir of grece & euerich man wif ioye
teld it forf til of er ti3tli al a-boute.
but fe worfi willzctm * f er-of wist he nou3t, 1476
For he was atte a bourdes * f er bachilers pleide.
whanne f e tiding l was f er told witow forsof e,
out of fat faire felachip ferde he fan sone
as mekeli as he mi3t lest eni mysse trowede ; 1480
but whan he was passed f e pres he pn'kede as swif e
as he mi3t hi3e his hors * for hurtyng of spors ;
for he schold lese his lemmarc his liif fan he hated. 1484
wif care was he ouer-come bi fat he com to his inne,
fat he for bale as bliue to his bed went,
& siked fanne so sore fe sofe forto telle, 1487
fat uch wi}h fat it wist wend he ne schuld keuer.
& whan hit was wist in rome fat wilKam was sek,
mochel was he mened * of more & of lasse ;
for a beter bi-loued barn was neuer born in erf e,
MS. "diting"; cf. 1. 1493.
IS TO MARRY THE GREEK EMPEROR S SON.
55
fan he was wif ich wi3t * wil he woned in rome. 1492
f e tiding ]>an were ti^tly to f emperour i-told,
& he fan swoned for sorwe & swelt nei^honde ;
but kni^tes him vp cau}t * & comfort him beter.
& whan he J)urth comfort was comen of his care, 1496
he went wi^tli to wilKam to wite how he ferde,
& kni^tes folwed him for]) fine of er sixe.
anon as he com him to he asked how he ferd.
"sire!" J>an seide he softly "certes, so ille. 1500
f at i leue my lif last nou^t til to morwe.
but god, sire, for his grete mi^t - graunt $ou ioye,
for f e worchipe fat $e han wn^t to me $ore."
whan f emperour hade herd holly his wordes, 1504
& seie him so sekly * fat he ded semed,
swiche sorwe sank to his hert fat mi^t he nou^t suffre
f er to be, bot he mi^t his bale haue slaked ;
of him wi^tly he tok his leue & went horn a-^eine,
weping as he wold wide for wo & for sorwe, 1509
& deliuerli to his doubter * his del fan he made,
how william hire worf i nory was nei^e atte def e.
& sche hire fader curafort * fast as sche imjt, 1512
but worse was neuer womaw for wo at hire herte.
as fast as hire fader was faren of J>e weie,
sche wept & weiled as sche wold haue storue,
& swoned ofte sijje her sche sese nn^t. 1516
but alisandrine anon fat al hire cuwseile wist,
comfort hire as sche coujje * wi)> alle kinde speches,
& bad hire wi}tly wende * to wite how he ferde.
" & sofliche, madame * so may hit bi-tide, 1520
^our comfort mai him keuere * & his sorwe slake."
fan meliors mekly hire maydenes dede calle,
& many of hire meyne for drede of missespeche,
& went ful wijtly to will[i]ams inne, 1524
as nou^t were bot [to] wite how fat he ferde.
& whan sche drow to his chauwber sche dede ful
The emperor
hears William in
ill, and swoons
for sorrow.
He goes with five
or six knights to
ask him how he
fares.
William thanks
him for his
kindness.
The emperor sees
he is almost dead,
and returns home,
and tells Melior.
When her father
had left her, she
wept and wailed.
[Pol. 26 M
Alexandrine
comforts her, and
advises to go and
see Wiluam.
Melior, with
many of her
maidens, goes to
William's abode.
sone
56
MELIOR RENEWS HER VOWS OF LOVE.
She and
Alexandrine go
into Iris chamber.
She sits by his
bed, and prays
him to say what
ails him.
He greets her
lovingly,
and asks why she
has forsaken him.
Yet he thanks her
for coming to see
him now.
[Fol. 27.]
Melior sighs sadly
and weeps,
arid assures him
he has not
lost her, for she
will not perform
her father's will.
here inaydenes & of er meyne rnekeli a-stente, /)&$>
al but alisaundrine * alone fei tweyne. 1528
fei went in-to wilh'am wif-oute any more,
& busked hem euen to Ms bed bi him gunne sitte,
& seide sone softly " my swete lemmaro dere,
allone but alisauwdrine am i come to fe 1532
forto wite of f i wo & what fat f e eiles.
Mi perles paramowrs l my pleye & my ioye,
spek to me spakli or i spille sone."
\I7illmm ti3tly him turned & of hire tok hede, 1536
& seide aswif e " sweting, wel-come !
Mi derworf e derling an my dere hert,
Mi blis & mi bale * fat botelesse wol ende !
but comliche creature for cristes loue of heuene, 1540
for what maner misgelt * hastow me forsake,
fat lelly haue f e loued & wile i Hue f enke ?
feif H boute feintyse J>ou me failest nouf e,
fat hast turned fin entent * forto take a-nofer. 1544
Gret wrong hastou wrou^t & wel gret sinne,
to do me swiche duresse to deye for f i sake.
but loueliche lemmaw oure lord mot f e ^eld
fat fi worfi wille was to come to me noufe ; 1548
for J/ow hast lengf ed my lif & my langour schortet
f urth f e solas & f e sijt of f e, my swete hert ! "
& whan melior hadde herd * holly al his wille,
sche siked sadly for sorwe * & wel sore wepte, 1552
& seide, " loueliche lemmas * leue f ou for sof e,
alle men vpon molde * no schuld my Hif saue,
}if f ou wendest of f is world fat i ne wende after !
ne, lemmaw, lore hastow me nou3t leue f ow forsof e,
for f ou^h mi fader folliche haue forwardes maked, 1557
wenestow fat i wold his wille now parfourme ?
nay, bi god fat me gaf fe gost and fe soule,
al fat trauaile he has tynt what euer tyde after ! 1560
1 MS. " paramo wrrs."
WILLIAM IS HEALED OF HIS SICKNESS.
57
for pere nis maw vpcw molde fat euer schal me haue
but 36, loueliche lemman leue me for trewe,
In feij) fei y schold f er-fore be fordon as swif e,
doluen dep quic on erf e to-drawe or on-honged ! " 1564
" 36, wist y fat," seide willmm " witterly to speke,
of alle harmes were ich hoi * hastely ri^t nouf e ! "
" 3is, be marie," seide meliors " misdrede 3ow neuer ;
I wil fulfille alle forwardes leifli in dede ! " 1568
fan was willmin ful glad l witow for sof e,
& etyer kindeli clipped of er and kest wel ofte,
& wrout elles here wille whil hem god liked.
& treuly whan 2 time com fat f ei twynne scholde, 1572
Meliors wif hire meyne * mekeliche horn wente ;
wilh'am a stoiwde stinte stille at his owne inne,
of alle his harde haches heled atte best.
alle fe surgens of salerne so sone ne cofen 1576
haue lesed his langour and his liif saued,
as f e maide meliors * in a mile wei dede.
f e word wide went sone fat willmm was heled,
& vche gome was glad and oft god f onked, 1580
& William on f e morwe * wel him a-tyred
Gayli in clof es of gold 3 & of er gode harneis,
& komes euen to kourt * as kni3t hoi & fere,
heriend heiliche god fat his liif saued. 1584
& sofli as sone as f emperour say him wif ei3en,
he hi3ed him hastely & hent him in his arm.es,
& clupte him & keste kyndeliche ful ofte,
& fus fei left in likyng a god while after. 1588
T>ut now more to minge * of f e messagers of grece.
' as tyt as fei had told trewli to here lord,
how realy fei were resceyued in rome f e riche,
& fe gracious graunt fei gaten of here herande, 1592
f emperour of grece gretly was gladed in herte.
swif e sent he sondes to somoun fat time
1 MS. "said." * MS. wahan." 3 MS. "glod."
None shall ever
have her but
William,
though she were
buried alive,
drawn, or hanged.
She will never
break her pledge.
Then they kissed
and comforted
each other.
Melior went
home, and
William was
healed.
It is soon known
that he is healed,
and all men
thank God.
[Fol. 27 &.]
The emperor is
very glad, and
embraces him.
The messengers
from Greece
return, and report
how well they
were received.
58
MEETING OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.
The emperor of
Greece summons
his lords,
and they set off
to ride to Rome.
When they draw
near Rome,
the Roman
emperor comes to
meet them.
The emperors
embrace and
greet each other.
All ride to Rome,
where they find
flowers strewn,
and rich hangings,
[Fol. 28.]
and hear
minstrels and
songs.
The Greeks are
harboured in
tents outside the
ity,
alle f e grete of grece and of er gaie pepul,
fat no mon vpow mold mi^t ayme f e noumber ;
al jjat real aray * reken schold men neuer,
ne purueaunce fat prest was to pepul a-grei]>ed,
but so]> atte f e day set wif solempne merf e,
f is gaye genge of grece * to rome gurane ride,
& riden in real aray to-ward rome euene.
forto reken al f e arai in rome fat time,
alle f e men vporc mold ne mi3t hit deuice,
so wel in alle wise was hit arayed,
& plente of alle purueauwce * purueyed to ri^ttes.
whan f emperour of grece neiyed nei^h rome,
wij> alle his bolde burnes a-boute f re mile,
f emperour of rome redeli romed him a-^ens,
wij> f e clennest cumpanye fat euer king ladde.
& whan f e clene cumpanyes comen to-gadere,
f e si3t was ful semly and louely for to se,
whan eif er of f emperoures er f ei wold stint,
eif er of er keste kindeliche fat time,
& sef f e f e same wif f e sone * also he wrou^t ;
f e murf e of fat metyng no man may telle.
Into rome al fat route * riden forf in-fere, /9 M^ r
& eche a strete was striked & strawed wif floures,
& realy railled wif wel riche clof es,
& alle maner menstracie maked him a-^ens ; i t
and also daunces disgisi redi di^t were, ,-> 1620
& selcouf songes to solas here hertes ;
so fat sof li to say f ei3h i sete euer,
I schuld nou3t telle f e merf e fat maked was fere ;
forfi to miwge of fat matere no more i ne fenk. 1624
but alle f e genge of grece was gayli resseyued,
& herbarwed hastely ich hete f e for sof e,
In a place, f er were pi$t pauilounns & tentes,
bi o side of fe cite * for swife moche pepul; 1628
for f ei fat seie it forsof e saiden f e truf e,
f e place of f e pauilons & of f e price tentes
1596
1600
1604
1608
1612
1616
WILLIAM AND MELIOR PLAN THEIR ESCAPE.
59
semede as moche to sht as be cite of rome. the tents
covering as
bemperour & eueriman * were esed to mttes, 1632 much ground as
did Rome itself.
& haden wi^tly at wille what fei wolde 3erne.
but now a while wol i stinte of fis wlonke mwrf e, 1 fy*-M
& muwge now of meliors fat blisful burde,
& of f e worf i willmm fat was here lemmas dere, Meiior.
& teUe J>e tale leUy what hem bitidde after. 1637
I
TTThan f ese pepul was inned wel at here hese,
" willmm wel wi3tli * wif-oute any fere,
Mornyng out mesure to melior he wendes, 1640
& siked ful sadli and seide to hire sone,
" a ! worf iliche wi^t wel wo is me nouf e !
f ur^th destine my def is di^t dere, for f i sake !
I may banne fat i was born to a-bide f is time, 1 644
forto lese f e lef fat al mi liif weldes.
foule f ow me fodest wif f i faire wordes,
elles had i deide for duel many dai sef f e,
& so god for his grace goue y hadde ! " 1648
Meliors seide mekli " whi so, mi dere hert 1
forwardes fat i haue fest ful wel schal i hold,
I hope to f e hei^h king fat al heuen weldes.
fer-for stint of fi striif & stodie we a-nofer, 1652
what wise we mow best buske of f is lond."
whan he [wist] f ese wordes * wilKam wel liked,
seide, " mi hony, mi hert al hoi f ou me makest,
wif fi kinde cumfort of alle mi kares kold." 1656
fan studied f ei a gret stourcde stifli to-gadere,
bi what wise f ei mi^t best buske of fat f ede,
priueli vnperceyued * for peynes fat hem tidde ;
al in wast f ei wrou^t here witte wold nou^t seme,
alisauftdrine to curcseile * fei clepud sone fanne, 1661
& telden hire trewli what tent fei were inne,
}if fei wist in what wise to wende of fat londe,
& preyed hire par charite and for profites loue, 1664
William goes to
Melior, and
sighing eays,
"Now must I die
for thy sake ;
and I would I
were dead
indeed ! "
Melior assures
him she will keep
her troth, and
they must devise
a plan of escape.
[Fol. 28 6J
They strive in
vain to think of
some way of
flight.
They therefore
ask Alexandrine
her advice.
MS. "miTj>e."
GO
ALEXANDRINE SEWS UP HER FRIENDS
She answers,
weeping, that she
can think of no
way at all;
for the cry would
soon be raised,
and every pass
guarded.
They would soon
be found out if
disguised ; the
only way is this.
The men in the
kitchen are
always flaying
Of all beasts,
bears seem the
most grisly.
[Fol. 29.J
None would know
them if they /
were wrapped up
in white bears' C
kins.
They thank her
tor her counsel,
and beg her to
get the skins.
to kenne hem sum coyntice * }if sche any couf e,
to wisse hem forto wend a-wey vnperceyued.
alisauwdrine a-non answered fan and seide,
wepand wonderli fast for fei wende wold, 1668
" bi fat blisful barn * fat bou^t us on f e rode,
I kan bi no coyntyse knowe nou$ f e best,
how ^e mowe un-hent or harmles a-schape.
for be hit witerly wist fat [30] l a- went bene, 1672
eche a kuntre worf kept wif kud men i-nou^e,
eche brug, eche payf e 2 eche brode weye,
fat nof er clerk nor kni3t nor of cuwtre cherle
schal passe vnperceyued & pertiliche of-sou^t. 1676
& $ef 30 were disgised & di3t on any wise,
I wot wel witerli 30 wold be aspied.
sef f e no nof er nel be but nedes to wende,
craftier skil kan i non * fan i wol kufe. 1680
In f e kechene wel i knowe * arn crafti men manye,
fat fast fonden alday to flen wilde bestes,
hyndes & hertes wif hydes wel fayre,
bukkes and beris * and ofer bestes wilde, 1684
of alle fair venorye fat falles to metes.
ac f e bremest best f e beres me semen,
f e gon most grisli to eche gomes si^t ;
Mi3t we by coyntise * com bi tvo skynnes, 1688
of f e breme beres & bi-sowe 3ou f er-inne,
f er is no liuawd lud i-liue 3ou knowe schold,
but hold 3ou ou3t of heie gates for happes, i rede.
rediliche no better red be resun i ne knowe, 1692
fan to swiche a bold beste best to be disgised,
for f ei be alle maners arn man likkest."
fan willz'am ful wif tli & his worf i burde
ful froly hire fonked many fousand sife 1696
of hire crafty CUT? say 1 & kindliche hire bi-sou3t,
wi3tly wif sum wyl winne hem tvo skinnes
of f o breme bestes fat beres ben called,
1 Read " that ze a went bene." M. 2 Or " pafjrc."
IN TWO WHITE BEARS' SKINS.
61
pryuely vnperceyued * for peril fat may falle.
& alisaiwdrine a-non as an hende mayde,
seide sche wold deliuerly do f er-to hire n^t,
Forto sane hem fro sorwe hir-self forto deye.
1700
She says she
will try.
TTTi^tly boute mo wordes sche went fo[r]f stille, 1704
' & bliue in a bourde borwed boi^es clones,
& talliche hire a-tyred ti3tli f er-inne,
& bogeysliche as a boye busked to f e kychene,
fer as burnes were busy * bestes to hulde ; J^^/j 1708
& manly sche melled hire * f o men forto help,
til sche say tidi time hire prey for to take,
sche a-wayted wel f e white bere skinnes,
fat loueli were & large * to lappen inne hire frendes,
& went wi^tly a-wei * wel vnparceyued, 1713
& lepef f er-wif to hire lady & hire lemmaw dere,
seide softily, " now sef * how sone i haue spedde *! "
& fei ful glad of f e gere gretly here fonked, 1716
& preiede here ful presteli to put hem f er-inne,
so semli fat no seg mi^t se here clof es.
& sche melled hire meliors ferst to greif e,
& festened hire in fat fel * wif ful gode fonges 1720
aboue hire trie a-tir to talke f e sof e,
fat no man vpow mold nn^t of er perceyue
but sche a bere were * to baite at a stake ;
so iustislich eche lif ioyned * bi ihesu of heuen. 1724
whan sche in fat tyr * was tiffed as sche schold,
Meliors in here merf e to hire maiden seide,
1" Leue alisauwdrine, for mi loue how likes f e nowf e ?
am i nou3t a bold best >a bere wel to seme ? " 1728
" $is, madame," seide f e mayde " be marie of heuene,
; ^e arn so grisli a gost a gom on to loke,
fat i nold for al f e god fat euer god made,
i abide }ou in a brod weie bi a large mile ; 1732
' so breme a wilde bere 36 bi-seme nowf e."
alisatiTidrine f anne anon after fat ilk,
She dresses herself
in boy's clothes.
and helps the men
in the kitchen.
She makes off
with the two
skins, and goes to
William and
Melior.
They beg her to
sew them up.
She fastens Melior
up in one with
good th njrs,
clothes and all.
[Po:. 29 '/.]
Melior asks her if
she does not make
a bold bear?
"Yes, madame,
you are a grisly
ghost enough, and
look furious."
I
62
WILLIAM AND MELIOR SET OFF.
Then she laces up
William in the
other skin ;
who, when sewn
up, asks Melior
what she thinks
of him?
" I am quite
frightened at so
hideous a sight."
William proposes
that they start at
once.
Alexandrine lets
them out by a
postern-gate.
She prays that
they may be
preserved from
all peril.
[Fol. 30.]
I must now tell
you about the two
white bears.
In fat of er bere-skyn be-wrapped wilh'am f anne,
& laced wel eche leme wif lastend f onges, 1 736
craftili a-boue his clof es fat comly were & riche.
& whan he was sowed as he schold bene,
willzam ful merili to meliors fan he seide,
" sei me, loueli lemmas how likes f e me nowf 6?" 1740
" bi marie, sire," seide meliors " f e milde quen of
heuene,
so breme a bere 30 be-seme * a burn on to loke,
fat icham a-grise bi god fat me made,
to se so hidous a si^t of youre semli face ! " 1744
fan seide wilKam wi^tli "my derworfe herte,
to hei3 vs hastily henne ich hope be f e best,
euenly fis euen while or men to mochel walk."
& 3he to worche as he wold wi^tli fan grauwted. 174&
alisauwdrine sone as sche saw hem founding,
wept as sche wold a-wede for wo & for sorwe,
but naf eles as bliue sche bro^t hem on weie
priuely be fe posterne of fat perles erber, 1752
fat was to meliors chauraber choisli a-ioyned.
& alisauwdrine as sone as f ei schuld de-parte,
swoned fele sif e & sef f en whan sche mi^t,
preide ful pituosli to fe prince of heuene 1756
to loke fro alle langour f o louely makes,
fat put hem for paramours in perriles so grete ;
& sof li forto say a-sunder f ann f ei went,
alisauwdrine anon attelede to hire boure, 1760
& morned nei^h for mad * for meliors hire ladi.
More to telle of hire f is time trewly i leue,
telle i wil of f e beres * what hem tidde after.
William & fe mayde fat were white beres, 1764
gon forf fur^th fe gardin a wel god spede,
Fersly on here foure fet as fel for swiche bestes.
~= MVJ ^ cu .
garden on aii
aoroek, who had fan 3ede a grom of grece in f e gardyn to pleie,
it, to bi-hold ]je estres * & fe herberes so faire,
1768-
THEY HIDE THEMSELVES IN A DEN.
63
&, or he wiste, he was war of f e white beres,
f ei went a-wai a wallop as f ei wod semed.
& nei$ wod of his witt he wax nei} for drede,
& fled as fast homward as fet mi^t drie, 1772
for he wend witterly * f ei wold him haue sewed,
to haue mad of him mete & mwrf ered him to def e.
whanne he his felawes fouwde of his fare ])ei wondred,
whi he was in fat wise wexen so maat, 1776
& he hem told ti^tly whiche tvo white beres
hadde gon in f e gardyn & him agast maked,
for he wende witerli f ei wold him haue slawe,
" but f ei seie me now$t ' sofli i hope, 1780
to me tended f ei nou^t but tok forf here wey
wilfulli to sum wildernesse where as f ei bredde."
f anne were his felawes fain * for he was adradde,
& la^eden of fat gode layk ; of hem ich leve nouf e,
to telle for]) what tidde of fe beres after. 1785
nou} fro f e gardin * J>ei gon a god spede
toward a fair forest fast f er bi-side.
whiluw f ei went on alle four * as do]) wilde bestes,
& whan fei wery were J)ei went vp-ri^ttes. 1789
so went ])ei in ])at wildernesse * al J)at long ni3t,
til it dawed to day & sunne to vp-rise,
Jjei drow hem to a dern den for drede to be sei^en,
& hedde hem vnder an holw hok was an huge denne,
as it fel a faire hap fei fond ])er-on to rest.
Fer it was fro wei^es & of wode so J>ikke,
fat no wi$t of J)e world wold hem J)ere seche, 1796
& })ei for-waked were weri * wittow for sof e.
& hi^liche })ei heriede god of fat hap fallen,
fat had hem di^t swiche a den dernly on to rest.
fen seide wilh'am soberli to meliors so hende, 1800
" a ! my loueliche lemmara our lord now vs help,
he fat was in bedleem born & bou^t vs on f e rode,
schilde us fram scljenchip & schame in f is erf e,
& wisse vs in what wise to winne vs sum mete ; 1804
perceived them
galloping along.
He fled home in
ertreme fear.
His fellows asked
him what ailed
him.
He said he had
seen two white
bears in the
garden,
which, fortu-
nately, did not
perceive him.
The two bears
went to a fair
forest,
going on all night
till the sun rose.
In the day time
they hid them-
selves in a den.
[Fol. 30 b.}
They were very
weary, and praised
God for their good
fortune.
Then said
William, "God
preserve us, and
teach us how to
get some meat. *
THE WERWOLF PROVIDES THEM WITH FOOD.
Mclior says they
can easily live on
love,
and bullaces and
blackberries,
and haws, hips,
acorns, and hazel-
nuts.
William says she
is not used to
such hard fare.
He had better go
and see if he can
find any churl or
child with meat
or drink.
" Nay," said she,
"for the loser will
raise the cry, and
tell it in Rome.
[Fol. 31.]
Better to live
upon fruit."
They rested in the
den all that day.
I must now tell
sibout the
werwolf.
For, dere lef, i drede we schul deie for hunger."
soburli seide meliors "sire, leues youre wordes,
we schul Hue bi oure loue lelli atte best ;
& Jrarjth fe grace of god gete vs sumwat elles, 1808
bolaces & blake-beries fat on breres growen,
so fat for hunger i hope harm schul we neuer ;
hawes, hepus, & hakernes & f>e hasel-notes,
& ofer frut to fe fulle fat in forest growen ; 1812
I seie $ou, sire, bi mi liif f is liif so me likes."
" nay, i-wisse," seid wilKam * " mi worf liche herte,
better be-houis it to be or baleful were J?i happes ;
For here-to-fore of hardnesse hadestow neuer, 1816
but were brou^t forf in blisse as swiche a burde ou3t,
wif alle maner gode metes ; & to misse hem nowf e,
It were a botles bale but beter haue i ment.
I wol wend to sum weie onwhar here nere, 1820
& waite ^if any wei^h comes wending alone,
ofer cherl ofer child fro chepinge or feyre,
fat beris out him a-boute bred ofer drinke,
& redeli i wol it reue & come a-^ein swife, 1824
ofer coyntyse know i non to kepe wif our Hues."
" nay, sire," sche seide " so schul $e nou$t worche ;
For f ei fat misseden here mete wold make gret noyse,
& record it redeH in rome al a-boute, 1828
so )>at we mi^t f ur^th hap * haue harm in fat wise.
f er-for is fairer we be stille & bi frut to Hue,
fat we finde in wodes as we wende a-boute."
& bofe fan as bliue a-sented bi a stounde, 1832
& kindeli eche oj?er dipt and kessed ful oft,
& darkeden fere in fat den al fat day longe,
slepten wel swetly samli to-gadere,
& wrou^t elles here wille; * leef we now here, 1836
& a while to f e werwolf i wol a-^en turne,
fat f e tale touchef as tellef f is sof e.
f e self nijt fat wilk'am went wif his leef dere,
fe werwolf, as god wold wist alle here happes, 1840
WILLIAM IS GLAD TO FIND THE BREAD AND BEEF.
65
& J?e fortune fat wold falle for here dedes after.
whan f ei went in fat wise wi3tli he hem folwes,
Ful bliue hem bi-hinde but f ei nou^t wist.
& whan f e werwolf wist where fei wold rest, 1844
he herd how hard for hunger fei hem pleyned,
& go]? him to a gret hei3-waye a wel god spede,
3if he mi^t mete any man mete of to winne.
fan fel f e chaunce fat a cherl fro cheping-ward com,
& bar bred in a bagge and fair bouf wel sode. 1849
f e werwolf ful wi^tli went to him euene,
wif a rude roring * as he him rende wold,
& braid him doun be fe brest bolstra^t to fe erfe. 1
fe cherl wende ful wel haue went to defe, 1853
& harde wif herte * to god f anne he prayde,
to a-schape schafles fram fat schamful best.
he brak vp fro fat beste & bi-gan to flene 185G
as hard has he mi^t his liif for to saue.
his bag wif his bilfodur wif f e best he lafte,
glad was, he was gon wif-oute gretter harmes.
f e werwolf was glad he hade wonne mete, 1860
& went wi^tli f er-wif f er as wilU'am rested,
be-fore him & his burde f e bagge f er he leide,
& busked him bliue a-^ein boute more wordes,
For he wist ful wel of what fei nede hadde. 1864
He knew all their
fortunes, and
followed them all
the way.
Knowing their
hunger, he goes to
highway,
where he saw a
man with somo
bread in a bag
and some boiled
beef.
He rushes on
him, roaring, and
frightens the man
terribly,
who broke away
and fled for his
life, glad to get off.
The werwolf goes
off with the meat,
and lays it before
William, and
runs away.
"TTTilKam f o wondred moche of fat wilde best,
what he brou^t in f e bag & wold nou3t a-bide.
he braide to him f e bagge & bliue it opened,
& fond fe bred & fe bouf * blife was he fanne, 1868
& mekli to meliors " mi swete hert," he saide,
" loo ! whiche a gret grace god haf vs schewed !
he wot wel of our werk & wel is apai3ed,
fat he sendef f us his sond to socour vs atte nede,
so wonder a wilde best * fat weldes no mynde. 1873
swiche a wonder i-wisse was i-seie neuer,
[Fol. 31 b.]
William opens the
bag, and finds the
bread and beef,
saying,
" See what grace
God has shewn us!
Such a wonder
was never seen.'
1 MS.
66
THE WERWOLF GETS THEM SOME WINE.
44 1 would not that
our work were
undone," said
Melior.
They ate it gladly
without any salt
or sauce.
But the werwolf
knew what more
they wanted.
He finds a man
with two flagons
of wine.
The man, seeing
the werwolf
coming, lets them
fall and flees
away.
The werwolf
seizes them and
[Fol. 32.]
takes them to
William, and
goes off.
William and
Melior are
blithe because of
the beast's help.
They ate and
drank their fill,
to herien god hei^li alden ar we bofe."
" bi marie," seid meliors " 30 mi^gef )>e sofe ; 1876
for al f e world i nold our werk were vndone."
wilh'am wel mekli f e mete out takes,
seid, " lemmaw, lef liif of fat our lord vs sendes,
Make we vs merie for mete haue we at wille." 1880
f ei ete at here ese as f ei mi^t f anne,
boute salt of er sauce or any semli drynk,
hunger hadde hem hold f ei held hem a-paied.
but white wel, f e werwolf wist what hem failed ; 1884
he went to an hei} weie * to whayte sum happes.
fan bi-tid fat time to telle f e sof e,
fat a clerk of f e cuntre com toward rome
wif tvo flaketes ful * of ful fine wynes, 1888
bou^t were for a burgeis * of a borwe bi-side.
f e werwolf him awayted & went to him euene,
bellyng as a bole fat burnes wold spille.
whan fe clerk saw him come for care & for drede, 1
fe flagetes he let falle & gan to fle 3erne, 1893
f e Ii3tliere to lepe * his liif for to saue.
f e werwolf of f e clerkes werk * was wonder blif e,
& flei to fe flagetes & swife hem vp hentes, 1896
& wendes euen to wilKam a wel god spede,
& to meliors his make and mildeliche f anne
f e flagetes hem bi-for faire doura he settes,
& went wi^tli a-wei wif -out eni more. 1900
willmm & his worf i wenche fan were blif e
of f e help fat f ei hade of f is wild best,
& preid f ei ful pn'ueli to f e prmce of heuene,
saue fe best fro sorwe ; fat so wel hem helped. 1904
fei made hem f an mirie * on alle maner wise,
eten at al here ese & afterward dronken,
& solaced hem same/a til hem slepe lust.
fan eif er lapped ofer ful loueli in armes, 1908
& here drede & here doel deliuerli for-^eten,
1 MS. " dredre." See 1. 1909.
ALL ROME PREPARES FOR MELIORS WEDDING.
67
& slepten so swetli in here semly denne,
til it wax so nei^li ni^t fat nerre it no mijt.
fan a- waked f ei wi^tli & went on here gate,
faire on f er tvo fet f ei ferde vp-on ni^tes,
but whan it drow to f e dai f ei ferde as bestes,
ferd on here foure fet in fourme of tvo beres ;
and euer f e werwolf ful wijtly hem folwed,
fat will/am ne wist hendeli hem bi-hinde ;
"but whan f ei were loged where hem best liked,
Mete & al maner f ing fat hem mister neded,
f e werwolf hem wan & wi^tli hem bro^t.
fan f ei lade f is liif a ful long while,
cairende ouer cuntreis ' as here cas ferde.
Leue we now f is lesson & here we a-nof er ;
to hem a^eyn can i turne whan it time falles.
I wol minge of a mater i mennede of bi-fore,
of f e reaute a-raied in rome for here sake,
& of f e worf i wedding was bi-fore graunted
bi-twene f e meyde meliors & f e prince of grece ;
now listenes, lef lordes f is lessourc ]?us i ginne.
and then slept
till night-time.
1912 By night they
went on two feet,
but by day on all
fours,
1916 the werwolf
following,
who procured
them all they
1920 wanted.
1924
1928
I must now tell
of the wedding
that was to have
been between
Melior and the
prince of Greece.
[Fol. 32 &.]
ll/Tanly, on f e morwe fat mariage schuld bene,
-L'-*- f e real emperours a-risen & richeli hem greijjed,
wij? alle worfi wedes J?at wi3hes were schold. 1932
no man vporc molde schuld mow deuise
men richlier a-raid to rekene alle finges,
]>an eche rink was in rome to richesse ]?at Jjei hadde ;
fe grete after here degre in fe gaiest wise, 1936
& menere men as fei mijt to minge ]je sofe.
])e sesoun was semly j?e suwne schined faire ;
)>empe?*our of grece * & alle his gomes riche
hi^ed hem to here hors hastili and sone ; 1940
but for [to] telle J?e a-tiryng of fat child fat time,
fat al fat real route were araied fore,
he fat wende haue be wedded to meliors fat time,
It wold lengef fis lessoiw a ful long while. 1944
The emperors
put on their
richest clothes.
All were arrayed
in the gayest
The Greek
emperor and his
men mounted
their horses.
The attire of his
son would take
too long to
describe.
68
THE BRIDE IS NOT TO BE FOUND.
The Roman
knights numbered
20.000.
The minstrelsy
and revels begin.
All gO tO St
Peter's church,
where the pope,
cardinals, and
bishops were
ready.
[FoL 33.]
They wait for
Melior.
The Roman
emperor wondered
where his
daughter was.
He sends a baron
to her chamber,
who finds no one
there.
The emperor, at
hearing this,
goes himself,
drives at the door
like a devil, and
Hi I OUtS OUt.
but sof li for to seie so wel ] was he greif ed,
fat amendid in no maner ne mi^t it haue bene.
& whan f e gomes of grece were alle to horse,
araied wel redi, of romayns to rekkene f e numbis,
treuli twenti fousand a- tired atte best, 1949
alle on stalworf stedes stoutliche i-horsed.
alle maner of menstracye * maked was sone,
& alle merfe fat any man euer mi^t deuise ; 1952
and alle real reueles rinkes rif bi-gunne,
Eidende f urth rome to rekene f e sofe,
Ei^t to f e chef cherch fat chosen is ^utte,
& clepud f urth cmtendom f e cherche of seynt petyr.
f e p[ope] 2 wif many prelates was purueyd to ri^tes,
wif cardenales & bischopus & abbotes fele, 1958
alle richeli reuested fat reaute to holde,
wif worchep of fat wedding fat f ei wende haue.
f e gryffouras fan gayli gonne stint atte cherche,
fe bri3t burde meliors to abide fere. 1962
f emperour of rome f amie was rede ^are,
& alle f e best barounes & boldest of his reaume.
f emperour wax a-wondred wite 36 for sofe, 1965
whi his doubter fat day dwelled so longe,
sef f e f e gomes of grece were gon to cherche.
fan bad he a barourc buske to hire chaumber, 1968
to hi^en hire hastily to him for to come,
& wi3tli he wendes * wite 30 for sofe.
he fond fere burde no barn in fat bour f anne,
for no coyntise fat he coufe to carp him a3ens ; 1972
& he Ii3tli a3en lepes & f e lord so telles.
f emperour whan he it wist wod wax he nere,
& went him-self in wraf e * to fat worf ies chaumber,
& driues in at fat dore as a deuel of helle. 1976
he gan to clepe & crie & gan to kurse fast ;
"where dwelle 36, a deuel wai 36 damiseles, so long? '*
1 MS. repeat* " wel."
8 This word is purposely erased ; part of the p can be traced.
ALEXANDRINES EXCUSES FOR MELIOR.
69
Alexandrine is
terrified, and
oasts about for an
excuse.
alisaimdrine as sone as sche him fere herde,
was delfulli a-drad fe def for to suffre, 1980
ac bi a coynt co?7ipaceme^t caste sche sone,
how bold }he mi^t hire bere hire best to excuse,
fat f emperour ne schuld souche jja ^he absent were,
fat his doubter wif wilh'am was went away f anne.
boldli wif milde mod ^he buskes of hire chauraber,
& kom ketly to fempe?'our * & kurteisly him gret, 1986 she battens to
D i ,,-,..,, . ., , , him, greets him,
& what fat his wille were wijtly fan asked, and asks his wm.
& he seide ful sone * " sertes, ich haue wonder
where my doubter to-day dwelles bus longe 1 H " wants to
know where his
for al fe pepul is parayled & passed to cherche. 1990 daughter is.
I haue sent hire to seche sef J>e a gret while,
ac no frek mai hire finde * f er-fore i am tened."
alisauwdrine a-non answered f anne & seide,
" to blame, sire, ar f o burnes fat so blef eli gabbe ;
For my lady lis 3 it a-slape lelly, as i trowe." 1995
" Go wi^tly," seide f emperour " and a-wake hire 3erne,
bid hire busk of hire bed & bliue be a-tyrid."
" I dar nou^t, for sof e " * seide alisaimdrine f anne ;
" wif me sche is wrof * god wot, for litel gilt." 1999
" whi so ? " saide f emperour " saie me nou^ bliue ! "
" Ful gladli, sire," sche seide " bi god fat me made,
$if 36 no wold be wrof whan 36 f e sof e wist."
''nay, certes," seide femperour* "f er-fore seieonsone."
alissau/idrine fan anon after fat ilke, 2004
seide ful sobeiii sore a-drad in herte,
" sire, for sof e, i am hold to saie ^ou f e treufe ;
Mi ladi made me to-nijt long wif hire to wake
boute burde or barn bot our selue tweie. 2008
f anne told sche me a tiding teld was hire to-fore,
of on fat knew f e kostome of f e cuwtre of grece,
fat eue?ich gome of grece as of grete lordes,
whan f ei wedded a wiif were 3he neuer so nobul, 2012
of emperours or kinges come & come into grece,
sche chold sone be bi-schet here-selue al-one,
She says she is
still asleep.
[FoL 33 6.]
" Wake her, then*
and tell her to
dress."
She says she dares
not, and he asks
Why.
She says, "Melior
made me watch
all night with
her,
and told me
she had heard it
was a custom in
Greece
70
THE EMPEROR IS VERY WROTH.
to shut up a bride
in a tower by
herself.
Wherefore she
declared she
would never be
married to a
Greek.
She also told me
another tale that
sorely grieved me.
[Fol. 34.]
She said she had
given her love to
another, who was
very bold and
fair,
that worthy
William who
fought so well
for you.
J told her I should
tell you of it.
She sent me out
<>f her chamber,
and I have not
neen her since.
I dure not go to
ier again."
In a ful tristy tour timbred for f e nones,
& Hue f er in langour * al hire lif-time, 2016"
neuer to weld of worldes merf e * f e worf of a mite.
)>er-fore for sof e * gret sorwe sche made,
& swor for pat sake to suffur alle peynes,
to be honget on hei} * or wif horse to-drawe, 2020
sche wold neuer be wedded to no wi^h of grece.
hire were leuer be weded to a wel simplere,
fere sche rnijt lede hire lif in liking & murf e.
& also, sire, sertaynly * to seie f e treuf e, 2024
sche told me a-nof er tale fat me tened sarre,
wher-fore i wan hire wraf er we departed."
" warfore ? " seide f emperour " seye me now ^erne."
" For sof e, sire," qua]) alisaur^drine * " to saue 30111
mensk, 2028
I wol 3ow telle tijtly * what turn sche as wrou^t.
sche clepud me to curcseil whan sche f is case wist
fat sche schold be wedded & seide me f anne,
sche hadde leid hire loue fer hire beter liked, 2032:
on on f e boldest barn fat euer bi-strod stede,
& f e fairest on face and i freyned is name.
& sche me seide chortly f e sof e to knowe,
It was fat worfi wilUYzm fat wi^es so louen, 2036>
& fat brou^t 3ou out of bale wif his cler strengf e.
& whan i wist of f is werk wite 36 for sof e,
It mislikede me mochel mi3t no man me blame,
& manly in my maner missaide hire as i dorst, 2040
& warned hire wi^tly * wif -oute disseyte,
I wold alle hire werk * do 3ou wite sone.
& whan sche fat wist for wraf al so 3ern,
sche dede me deliuerly deuoyde f er hire chauraber,
& het me neuer so hardi be in hire si^t to come. 2045*
& i busked of hire hour sche barred hit sone,
& sef f e saw i hire nou^t ' sire, bi my treuf e.
I ne dar for drede no more to hire drawe, 2048
J>er-for, sire, 3our-self softili hire a-wakes,
HE SEEKS FOR MELIOR EVERYWHERE.
71
& fodes hire wif faire wordcs for ^our owne menske,
til ]>is mariage be mad & wij) murfe ended."
w
han bemperour had herd * holly bise wordes, 2052 The emperor at
this was mad
he wax nei}!! out of wit for wraf fat time, with grief,
& for dol a-dotef & dof him to hire chaumber,
& busked euene to hire bed but l nof ing he no fond,
wif -inne hire comly cortynes but hire clof es warme.
wi}tly as a wod man fe windowe he opened, 2057
& sou^t sadli al a-boute his semliche doubter,
but al wrou^t in wast for went was fat mayde.
& whanne he mijt in no manere meliors f er finde,
he deraied him as a deuel & dede him out a-^eine,
& asked of alisauwdrine * anon after f anne, 2062
" f ou damisele, deliuerli * do telle me now ^erne,
whider is mi doubter went }he nis nou^t in bedde."
alisauwdrine for fat cas was sorwful in herte, 2065
& seide, " sire, i sei} hire nou}t sef hie} midni^t,
I wene sche went to will-tarn * for wraf of my sawe,
sendef swifteli f edir * to scheche hire at is inne. 2068
& jif wilKam be nou^t went witef 36 forsof e,
Mi ladi for ani lore lengef in f is cite jut.
& }if wilKam be went * neuer leue 30 of er,
Mi ladi lengef him wif for lif or for dede." 2072
f emperour for treie & tene as a tyrauwt ferde,
wax ney wod of his witte & wrof liche seide, Jf-'^tJ
" a ! has fat vntrewe treytour traysted me noufe, / "Ah|"
For f e welf e & welfare * i haue him wrou^t fore, 2076
& fostered fro a fundeling to f e worf iest of mi lond ?
& for his dedes to-day i am vndo for euer ;
eche frek for f is fare false wol me hold,
& J?e grewes for gremf e ginnef on me werre,
& eche wei}h schal wite * f at f e wrong is myne.
f er-fore bi grete god * }>at gart me be fourmed,
& bitterly wif his blod bou^t me on f e rode,
and went to
Melior's bed, but
found only the
warm bed-clothes.
[Fol. 34 6.J
Finding her no-
where, he asks
Alexandrine
where she is gone
to.
" Sire," she says,
" I have not seen
her since mid-
night; perhaps
she is with
William.
If he is not gone,
she is there ; but
if he is gone, be
sure Melior is
with him."
said th
."has
deceived me ?
2080 The Greeks will
make war u;*>u
me.
MS. " bud.'
72
THE WEDDING IS PUT OFF PERFORCE.
If he is taken, he
shall be hanged
and drawn in
pieces."
Sixty sergeants
are sent to look
for William.
[Fol. 35.]
They were glad
when they could
not find him.
The emperor
swoons for sorrow
and shame.
His lords advise
him to tell the
emperor of
Greece the whole
truth.
He does so, and
asks him how he
can best avenge
himself.
All mirth ceases
in the city.
The Greek
emperor, seeing
how he of Rome
was grieved,
alle men vpon molde * ne schuld mak it ofer, 2084
^if fat traytour mow be take to-day, er i ete,
lie schal be honged heie & wif horse to-drawe ! "
f emperour fill kenely dede kalle kni^ttes fele,
and ofer semly seriaurcs sixti wel armed, 2088
het hem wi^tli to wende to wilh'ams inne,
& ^if f ei found out fat freke for out fat bi-tidde,
to bring him bliue bounde fast him to-fore.
fai durste non ofer do but dede hem on gate, 2092
& sou^te him wif sore hertes * so wel f ei him louede.
fei^fli when f ei founde him nou^t fayn were f ei alle,
& turned a^ein to f emperour & told he was a-weie.
fanbrayde he brayn-wod & alle his bakkes rente, 2096 IJOUA
his berde & his bri^t fax for bale he to-twi^t ;
& swowned sixe sif e for sorwe & for schame,
fat fals he schold be fouwde ful ofte he seide " alias,"
& banned bitterli fe time fat he was on Hue. 2100
f anne kinges & kud dukes comforted him beter,
bede him sese of his sorwe * & swiftili wende,
& telle f emperour of grece treuli f e sof e,
& meke him [in] l his merci for his misse-gilt. 2104
& he ketly for al kas after cuwseyl wrou^te,
& gof to f emperour of grece vnglad at his herte,
knelef to him karfully * & mercy him krief ,
and told him as titly al fe treufe sone, 2108
how his doubter was went * wif on fat he fostred,
& preide him par charite fat he him wold wisse,
In what wise fat he mi^t best him a-wrek.
& whan fis tiding was told trowef fe sofe, 2112
In fat cite was sone many a sori burne,
for missing of fat mariage al nmrf e 2 was seced,
riuedliche f urth rome & reuf e bi-gunne.
fe gode emperour of grece was a-greued sore, 2116
of fat fortune bi-falle but for he sei fat of er
so meken in his mercy for fat misgilt,
1 MS. omits in. See 1. 2118. 2 MS. "mw;Tj>e."
THE GREEK EMPEROR GIVES HIS ADVICE.
73
f e li^tere he let f er-of * ac lourand he seide ;
" sire, be god fat me gaf f e gost & fe soule, 2120
wist i now witerli f is were wrou^t for gile,
alle f e mew vpon mold no schuld make it of er,
fat i nold brenne f i borwes & f i burnes quelle,
& sece neuer til fi-self were chamly destruyed. 2124
but i wene wif f i wille was neuer wrou^t f is gile,
fere-fore f e cuwseil fat y kan i schal f e kif e sone,
do quikliche crie f urth eche cuwtre * of f i king-riche,
fat barouws, burgeys, & bonde & alle of er burnes,
fat mowe wi^tly in any wise walken a-boute, 2129
fat f ei wende wijtly as wide as f i reauine,
f urth wodes & wastes * & alle maner weies,
forto seche fat seg fat he haf so bitraied ; 2132
& fat mayde him mide Meliores f i doubter.
& to make eche man f e more beter wilned,
bi-hote hoo-so hem findes * to haue so gret mede,
Riche to be & reale redly al his Hue time. 2136
& ho-so hastely nou^t him hie} f is hest to worche,
do him in hast be honged * & wif horse to-drawe.
& loke fat hirde-men wel kepe f e komime passage,
& eche brugge f er a-boute fat burnes ouer wende,
& to seche eche cite and alle smale f ropes, 2141
& vnparceyued passe f ei nou^t }if f i puple be treuwe."
says, that had it
been done in
guile, he would
have burnt all his
towns ;
but as it is not
so, he will give
him his counsel.
[Fol. 35 6.]
" Proclaim
through all your
lands that every
man shall seek
everywhere,
till they find
William and
Melior,
Whoever finds
them is to be
richly rewarded,
and whoever is
remiss is to be
hanged.
Passes and
bridges should be
guarded."
T%e real emperour of rome f anne redli him thonked
* of fat konyng cuwseyl & his kynde wille. 2144
& bliue fan bi eche side fat bode let he sende ;
as hastyli as men nn^t hi^e his hest was wrou^t,
& sone was sembled swiche an host to take hem tweie,
fat neuer burn to no bataile * brou^t swiche a puple.
f ei sou3t alle so serliche f urh cites & smale townes,
In wodes & alle weies fat was fer a-boute, 2150
fat no seg for no slei^f e no schuld haue schapit.
but }it as god ^af f e grace no gom mi^t he?% finde,
fere fei leye lonely a-slepe lapped in armes. 2153
The emperor
sends the
message every-
where, and all
men set out to
hunt them.
They sought in
every wood and
path, but
fortunately did
not find them.
74
ALL SET OUT TO SEEK THE BEARS.
When it was told
that they could
not be found,
the Greek who
had seen the
bears told his
adventure,
[Fol. 36.]
and how the
bears had not
noticed him, but
went away by the
postern-gate.
The Greek
emperor says it
will be best to
send to the
kitchen and see if
any skins are
missed.
Two white bears'
skins are
missing.
All set out again,
with hounds, to
hunt the bears,
and some came
close to their
liding-place.
hiding-]
rThe werwolf
/determined to
leave them,
and to get the
hounds away.
but whan f is bode was broi^t to f empe/-our[s] bof e,
fat no wi^t in no wise * ne mi3t wilh'am finde,
ne fe maide Meliors in no maner wise, 2156
per stod a gome of grece fat god gif him sorwe !
he fat of f e white beres so bremli was a-fraied,
he seide sone to f emperours " sires, wol $e here ?
I sai a selkoufe si$t mi-self 3ister-neue, 2160
wel wif -inne ni^t as i went in the gardyn ;
tvo fe bremest white beres fat euer burn on loked,
& semede f e most to sijt * fat euer $ut i sawe.
I wende deliuerli for drede f e def to haue sufFred,
but treuly fe beres to me tok no hede, 2165
but passeden out priueli at f e posterne gate,
ac whiderward f ei went * wot i no more."
" be god," qua]) f emperour of grece " fat gart me b&
fourmed, 2168
I der leye mi lif hit was f e lifer trey tour
went a-wey in fat wise for he ne wold be knowen.
Lete wite swif e at f e kichen wef er f ei misse any
skinnes. 2171
whan men kome to f e koke he was be-knowe sone,
fat sum burn a-wei had bore * tvo white beres skynnes*
fan was it kenly komanded a kri to make newe,
fat eche burn schuld bisily tvo white beres seke,
his trauayle schold nou^t tyne fat tittest hem founde.
fan hastely hi^ed eche wi^t * on hors & on fote, 2177
huntyng wijt houndes * alle heie wodes,
til f ei ney^f ed so neijh * to nymphe f e sof e,
fere wilKam & his worfi lef were Hand i-fere, 2180
fat busily were thei a bowe schote out of f e burnes sijt.
but whan f e witthi werwolf wist hem so nere,
& sei^e blod-houndes bold so busili seche,
he fou^t, wil his lif last * leten he nolde, 2184
forto saue and serue f o tvo semli beres ;
& prestly fan putte him out in peril of def e,
bi-fore f o herty houndes * hauteyn of cryes,
THE BEARS ARRIVE AT BENEVENTO.
75
2200
to winne hem alle a-weiwardes fro f e white beres.
whan fe houndes hadde feute of fe hende best, 2189
f ei sesed al here sechyng & sewed him fast,
ouer mourctaynes & mires many myle f ennes.
alle men fat mut herde of fe muri houndes, 2192
seweden after ful swif e * to se fat mury chase,
& left f e loueli white beres ligge in here rest,
fat wisten no-f ing of f is werk * fat was hem a-boute.
f e puple f anne porsewed forf & of here prey f ei
missed, 2196
as god gaf f e werwolf grace to go a-wei so ^erne,
fat horse ne hourcde for non hast ne mijt him of-take.
whan f emperour was warned in wast fat f ei ^ede,
alle gergeis for grame gonne take here leue,
& cayred to Jjaire cuwtre earful and tened.
but ward was f er set wide wher a-boute,
of bold burnes of armes f e beres forto seche,
fat l f e witti werwolf so wel f anne hem helped,
fat no wi}t for wile m^t wite where f ei lenged ;
& hastili whan f ei hade nede halp hem of mete,
& wissed hem wel f e wei3es to wende a-wei bi ni^t ;
& whan it drou^ to f e dai * ful dernli he hem tau^t,
bi cowtenauwce wel thei kneu * where f ei rest schold
take. 2209
& busily him-self wold buske in eche side,
to help hem fro harm ^if any hap bi-tidde.
fus fat witty werwolf fe weyes hem kenned ; 2212
lorkinde f urth londes bi nijt so lumbardie f ei passed,
& comew into f e marches of f e kingdam of poyle.
The hounds
followed him
many miles over
mountains and
mires,
and left the bears-
lying there.
[Fol. 36 &.J
The chase being
all in vain, all
the Greeks go
home.
Watches are set
everywhere.
2204 i Bead but.
But the werwolf
found them food,
and was their
guide.
Thus they passed
Lombardy, and
came to Apulia.
TTit bi-tidde fat time f ei trauailed al a n^t,
L out of forest & frif es & alle faire wodes ; 2216
no couert mi^t f ei kacche f e curatre was so playne.
& as it dawed Ii3t day to mene f e sof e,
fai hadde a semli sijt of a cite nobul,
They could find
no covert there.
They see a
castellated city,
enclosed comeliche a-boute wif fyn castel-werk ; 2220 named Benevento.
76 THE BEARS FALL ASLEEP IN A QUARRY.
bonuewt fat ricbe borwe burnes }ut clepun.
wiiiiam is afraid whan wilh'am ber-of war was he wax a-drad sore,
they will be seen. '
lest eny segges of fat cite * hem of-se schuld,
& mekly seide to meliors * " myn owne swete herte,
our lord, $if his liking be oure Hues now saue ! 2225
tohide* nowhere f r i no wot in f is world where we mowe vs hide,
f e perles prince of heuen for his pite & his grace,
saue vs for his pite fat we ne slayn bene ! " 2228
" amen, sire," seide meliors " Marie fat vs grauwt, 1
for fat blessed barnes loue fat in hire bodi rest ! " 2
AtiaS t!ie 37 found f* 11116 wijtly wif-inne a while as fei waited a-boute,
a quarry under a f e i saie a litel hem bi-side a semliche quarrere, 2232
vnder an hei} hel * al holwe newe diked ;
deliuerli fei hie^ed hem f ider for drede out of doute,
and crept into a & crepten in-to a caue whanne bei beder come,
cave there, and
lay down there to al wery for-walked & wold take here reste. 2236
In armes louely eche lau^t of er & leide hem to slepe,
al bonden in f e bere skynnes * bi-fore as fei ^ede.
The werwolf kept & j, a {; w ftty werwolf went ay bi-side,
& kouchid him vnder a kragge to kepe f is tvo beris.
ac fei ne hadde redly rested but a litel while, 2241
some workmen fat werkmen forto worche * ne wonne bidere sone,
came there to
dig. stifly wif strong tol ston stifly to digge, 3
& as fei come to fe caue to comse to wirche, 2244
One of them saw on of hem sone of-sei fo semliche white beres,
loueli ligand to-gadir lapped in armes.
but feif li as fast to his felawes he seide,
and bid his " herkenes nowe, hende sires ^e han herd ofte, 2248
fellows remember
the cry that had wich a cri has be cried f urth cuwtres fele,
fat what man vpon molde mi^t onwar finde,
tvo breme wite beres fe bane is so maked, 2252
he schold winne his wareson to weld for euere,
1 MS. graut ; but the u has a crooked line over it (the contraction
for ra or ) instead of a straight one.
2 Catchword" J?anne wi^tly." 3 Read " ston for to digge"(?).
THE PROVOST AND HIS MEN SEEK THE BEARS.
77
Jjurth f e grete god of gold fat him bi 3iue schold."
" 3a, ibrsof e," seide his felawes " ful wel fat we
knowe ;
but wharhi seistow so so f e god help ? " 2256
"fe sofe, felawes, ful sone * 36 schol it wite,
3if 36 tentifly take kepe * & trewe he to-gadere ;
I wol winne our warisun for i wot where fei are."
" 3is, certes," seide fei "so trewe wol we hene, 2260
fat no fote schal we fle for nou^t hi-tides."
" ek, sires," seide fat ofer "so 30113 crist rede,
standes alle a stounde stille in f is ilk place,
I wil husk to honeuent of f e heris telle, 2264
to f e prouost & ofer puple & hem preie in hast
to come hider & hem cacche for in caue f ei lyen,
& slepen samen y-fere y saw hem ri^t nowe."
f enne were his felawes ful fayn & fast had him renne,
& fei wold a-bide boldly f e beres fere to kepe. 2269
fat ofer [went], 1 wi^tly f enne to warne f e prouost
lelliche hou he hade seye in f e harde quarrer,
f e tvo white beris & bad him-self 3erne 2272
to come wif gret pouwer & cacche hem in haste.
" wostou wel," seyede f e prouost " fat fei are fere
3ete?"
" 36, certes," seide he " y saw hem rijt now bof e ;
& fine of my felawes ful faste fere hem way ten, 2276
fat fei no wende a-way * wil y hider sterte."
and how great
was the reward
offered for finding
them.
He will shew
them how to get
the reward.
They must watch
there while he
goes to Benevento
[Fol. 87 &.]
to tell the
provost.
They watch
while he runs off.
He tells the
provost the bears
are found,
and five of his
fellows are
watching them.
"Ue prouost fan prestely fe pepul dede warne, The provost
gathers all the
- as fei nold lese here lif here londes & here godes, people of the
fat alle hie3den hastily on hors & on fote, 2280
& bi-set sone saddeli * f e quarrer al a-boute,
ti3tli for to take f e tvo white beres,
fat f emperour comanded crie in cu^tre al a-boute.
sone eche man fat mijt ful manliche him armed, 2284
& he3eden hastely to hors f o fat hade any,
1 Perhaps we should read " That other went wiztly." M.
78 MELIOR HAS A WARNING DREAM.
and frekes on fote hi^ede hem fast after,
so fat f e ciwtre f urth fat cri was al bi-cast sone,
& quikliche a-boute f e quarrer * were kene men of
armes, 2288
2200 men in ail. twenty hundered & tvo trewli in numbre,
to take as bliue f e beres but god now hem help,
slayn worf f ei slepend ac selcouf now heres.
as fo bold beres so nei^h here bale slepten, 2292
just then, Meiior Meliors burth a metyng * was marred new for fere,
had a dream,
which she teiis to & f urth jmt sojrwful sweuene swif e sche a-waked,
& wi3% to will/am f ese wordes sche' sede,
" a ! louely lemmaii lestene now my sawe, 2296
~~ I am ney marred & mad f is morwe for a sweuene.
" i thought that for me bout bat ber com to bis caue noube
bears, apes, bulls, r .
[Foi. 88.] wilde beris & apes bores, boles, and baucynes,
bLt oufcave, led a brem numbre of bestes fat a lyoun ladde, 2300
fat his kene komandmertt kidden wel to wirche,
to haue taken vs tvo * to-gader in f is denne.
The lion's cub \ ban was ber a litel IVOUTZ, of be lederes bi-sete,
was with them ;
come wif fat companye fis case to bi-holde. 2304
& r^t as f e breme bestes vs bof e schuld haue take,
and our werwolf our wurf i werwolf .fat euer wel vs helpef ,
came and caught ., , , p n i
up the cub, and com W1 P a g re ^ kours & lor alle f e kene bestes,
ran off with it, & lau ^ yp ^ ?ong lvoun . Ii3tly in hig m()U ^ e} 230 g
& went wif him a-wei whedir as him liked,
and they left off & alle f e breme bestes fat a-boute vs were,
Trent D after Mm." for-lete vs & folwed him forf - for f e $ong lyouns sake ,
& certes, sire, of fat sweuen ri^t so y a-waked, 2312
& am a-drad to fe def for destine fat wol falle."
wiiiiam says it is " \T a 7> loueli lef," seide william "leue al fat sorwe,
-^ forsof e it is but fanteme fat 36 fcre-telle ;
/ we mo we reste vs redili rijt sauf here at wille." 2316
ac sof li, as che had seide ri3t wif fat ilke,
But then they f ei herd an huge route of horse fat hel al a-boute,
hear the sound of . .
many horsemen, & herd fat quarrero vmbe-cast <fc al f e cuwtre wide.
WILLIAM BIDS MELIOB SAVE HERSELF.
79
ful wi3tly wayted out at an hole, 2320
<& seie breme burnes busi * in ful bri3t armes,
brandissende wif gret bost & of f e beres speke,
In what wise f ei wold wirche l wi3tly hem to take.
fe prouost wif al fe puple presed for]? formast, 2324
& many mi^ti man manliche medled fat time,
& sof liche for to seie swiche grace god lente,
fat f e prouost sone a semli 3ong barne,
was brout fider wif burnes fe beres to bi-holde, 2328
for f e selcouf e sty to se how J>ei schuld be take.
whan wilKam. was war f ei were so nei^L nome,
to meliors wif mornyng mekliche he sayde,
" alias ! my loueliche lemniaw fat euer y lif hadde,
to be for al our bale brou3t to swiche an hende ! 2333
alias ! lemmas, fat our loue f us luf erly schal departe,
fat we now dulfulli schul deye ac do now, god, f i
grace,
& late me haue al f e harm * hei3eliche i beseche ; 2336
for i haue wrou^t al fis wo & worf i am f er-tille.
for meliors, my dere hert * be marie in heuene,
holly al fis harde * f ow hast al for my gelt ;
f er-fore, yf godes wille were i wold haue al f e payne,
to mede 36 were fro fis quarrere * quitly a-schaped. 2341
& dere hert, deliuerli do as ich f e rede,
dof bliue fis bere-skyn * & be stille in f i clof es,
& as sone as f ou art seie f ou schalt sone be knowe,
fan worf f i liif lengeyd ' 2 for loue of f i fader ; 2345
so mi3tow be saued for sof e, neuer elles ;
<fe f ouh3 f ei murf er me f anne i no make no strengf e.
but god for his grete grace gof i hadde now here 2348
horse & alle harneys fat be-houes to werre,
I wold wend hem tille wif-oute ani stint,
& do what i do n^t or ich f e deth soffred ; 2351
suwme fat bere hem now brag schuld blede or euen.
and William sees
men-in-arms,
and hears them
speak of the
bears.
The provost's
was in the
company.
William laments
their hard fate.
[Fol. 38 6.J
He says he ought
to have all the
harm*
He advises
Melior to doff her
bearskin, and
reveal herself.
No matter if
they murder Aim,
yet he wishes he
had a horse and
armour,
and he would do
what he could.
* Or " lengeyd," miswrittenfor lengj?ed (?). Cf. 11. 1040, 1944.
80
THE WERWOLF BUNS OFF WITH THE PROVOST*S SON.
ac botles is now f is bale but be hit a goddes wille,
she must take off & buske f e of f is bere fel bi-liue, i f e rede,
her bearskin and
save herself.
2355
& wende listly hennes & late me worf after ;
swif e saue f i-self * for so is f e best."
Meliors wepande wonder sore to wilKam fan seide,
"what? leuestow, leue lemmas fat i fe leue wold
for def or for duresse * fat men do me mi^t ? 2359
na y ft him fat wif his blod boust vs on be rode,
f e beres fel schal neuer fro my bac siker be f er-fore.
having no wish to al f is world to winne * i no wold be aliue,
live if he is slain. , T r>, -, ,
sof li alter i seie :$ou sufltere f e def e ;
wif god wille take we f e grace fat god wol us
sende." 2364
Meiior vows she
will not do so,
The provost
advances to take
the bears,
[Fol. 39.]
but the werwolf
attacks them,
snatches up the
provost's son,
and runs off,
roaring loudly.
The provost cries
out for help.
All begin to chase
the werwolf,
Whan fat sawe was seid * sof for to telle,
f e prouost bad bold burnes f e beres go take,
& f ei hastily at his hest hi^ed inward atte roche.
but godli, as god wold swiche grace bi-tidde, 2368
f e werwolf was war * & wist of here tene,
& be-f out how best wore * f e beres to saue ;
& wi^tly as a wod best * went hem a-^ens,
Gapand ful grimli & gof f anne ful euene 2372
to f e semli prouost sone & swif e him vp-cau^t
be f e middel in his mouf e fat muche was & large,
& ran l forf for al fat route wif so rude a noyse, ~
as he wold fat barn bliue haue for-frete.
1376
whan f e prouost fat perceyued * to f e puple he cried,
" helpes hastily, hende men * i hote, vp ^our Hues !
ho wol winne his wareson now wijtly him spede
forto saue my sone * or for sorwe i deye ! " 2380
ful sone after fat sawe se fere men mi^t
Many a bold burn after fat best prike,
& of er frekes on fote as fast as f ei n^t,
so holliche to fat hunting i hote fe forsofe, 2384
fat noif er burde ne barn * bi-laft at f e quarrer,
1 MS. " J>an." Both sense and alliteration require " ran."
WILLIAM AND MELIOR DOFF THE BEAR-SKINS. 81
but went after f e werwolf & warned from f e beres,
hotend out wib homes & wif buge cries, th horns and
loud cries.
& sewed him sadly * wij) so selkouf noyse, 2388
fat alle men vpora molde mi3t be a-wondred.
euer when be werwolf was out to-fore Every time the
werwolf was half
f e moufttaunce of half a myle or more $if it were, a mile away,
lest f e segges wold haue sesed here seute to folwe, 2392
he wold abide wib be bam be bliber hem to make, h waited for
them to come up,
In hope fei schuld of him hent f e litel knaue.
but whan fei were ou3t him nei^ noujt he nold abide,
but dede him deliuerli awey as he dede bi-fore, 2396
& bus lelly he hem ladde * alle be longe daie. and 80 led thera
on all day long.
fat neuer man vp07^ molde mi^t him of-take ;
& schete durst fei nou^t, for drede * f e child to hurte,
but folwed him so forf as fast as fei mi^t. 2400
whanne be wite beres wist bat were in be quarrer, [ Fo1 - 39 6 -l
The white bears,
fat al f e puple was passed to pursue f e best, finding that ail
of fat witti werwolf to winne f e child, sone away,
& sei wel for here sake * he suffred f o peines 2404
to socour hem & saue fra??& alle sory def es,
& bo be bliue for bat best bi-ofunne to preie prayed for the
werwolf's safety,
fat god for his grete mi^t schuld gete him fro harm ;
witterli fei wist wel '-fat f ei nere bot dede, 2408
nere goddes grete rnijt & f e gode bestes help.
& whan bei bobe had so bede * bei be-bout after, and began to
think they had
It were best as bliue to buske hem of fat caue. better make off.
& wilKam fese wordes wijtly ' to meliors seide, 2412
" Mi swete wi^t, sof to seie me semeth l it f e best,
to buske 2 vs of be bere felles to be be lasse knowe. William says they
had better take
for eche wi^h wol more a-weite after fe white beres, off the skins.
fan fei wol after any wi3t * fat walkef i-clofed, 2416
berfor wiitly in oure owne wedes wende we hennes." and so away in
their own clothes.
Mekli seide meliors, " sire * be marie in heuen,
to do holli as 36 ban seide i hope be f e best." 2419
as bliue be bere schinnes frow here bodi bei hent, They rend off the!
skins, and are
1 MS. "semeht." 2 MS. "buskes."
G
82
WILLIAM AND MELIOR HIDE IN A FOREST.
glad to see one
another once
more.
William looks
out, but can see
no one near.
They take the
skins with them,
being loath to
part with them
They were in
much dread, but
[Fol. 40.]
happily met with
no one.
After going three
miles, they find a
forest.
Melior is so tired,
she can go no
farther.
So they rest in
the forest, and
fall asleep.
The provost and
bis men chased
the werwolf till
sunset.
The werwolf
thought there
was no need to
go farther ;
& wi^tly wrapped hem to-gadere wittow for sof e,
& blif e were fei bof e f anne * to bi-hold on of ei- ;
for feif li a fourteni^t new hadde seie of eres face.
f anne dipt fei & kest for al here cares colde, 2424
& will? am ful wijtly waited out of f e caue,
& bi-huld ful busili a-boute on eche a side,
}if eny wijt were walkende but he non seie. 2427
he lau^t loueli Meliors & ladde hire bi f e honde ;
closed in here clones out of ])e caue fei went,
wif hem bof e bere-felles fei bere in here armes,
so lof hem was f o to lese or leue hem- bi-hinde ;
& deden hem deliuerly * ouer dales and helles, 2432
ferrest fro alle weies f er any folk walkes.
dolfulli fei were adrad >dar no mew hem wite,
last fei schuld mete any man fat* mi^t hem be-wrie ;
but fan as god wold or eny man hem seye, 2436
fei hade walked in fat wise wel a f re myle,
& founden fan a fayr forest floriched ful f ik,
& f ider wi^tly f ei went wel vnparceyued.
what of here* hard hei3ing & of f e hote weder, 2440
Meliors was al mat * sche ne mi^t no furf er,
& prestly in a f icke place * of fat pris wode,
wel out from alle "weyes for-wery f ei hem rested,
& f onked god gretliche fat so godliche hem saued ;
& seffen softli to slepe samen fei hem leide, 2445'
as fei fat were wery for- waked to-fore.
Nou^ leue we of hem a while & speke we a-nof er ;
For of f e witti werwolf a while wol i telle. 2448
Oo long fat ferli folk folwed him after,
^ to haue be-nom him f e barn fat he nam fat time,
huntyng holliche fat day * on hors & on fote,
till f e semli sunne was setled to reste. 245 2 1
& whan it was so nei} ni3t to neuen f e sof e,
f e werwolf wist wel * it was no more nede
to bere fat [barn] no forf er l for f e beres sake.
1 Read "to bere that bam." M. See 1. 2459.
THE WERWOLF DROPS THE PROVOST'S SON.
83
fei hadde folwed him so fer ' pat forsope he wist, 2456
pat no seg pat hade sewed no schuld horn winne,
hi^ed pei neuer so hard of al pa long ni^t.
& panne as bliue pat barn pe best a-doun sette,
wip-oute eny maner wem * pe worse it to greue, 2460
for non schold in pat barnes bodi o brusure finde
as of pat bold best but bold it was & faire.
& as sone as he hade sette it a-downe,
he went wi^tly a-weie wip-oute eny more, 2464
deliuerli as he nadde pat day gon half a myle.
when pe prouost & pe puple parceyued pat ilk,
pat pe best hade left pe barn blipe were pei panne,
pe prouost bi-fore pe puple priked pider formest, 2468
& hent it vp in hast ful hendli in his armes,
and clipt it & kest oft & many sipes ;
bi-huld a-boute on his bodi }if it blenched were ;
whan he saw it al sound * so glad was he panne, 2472
pat na gref vnder god gayned to his ioye.
al pe puple prestly * pat him porsewed hadde,
gretliche ponked god * of pat grace bi-falle,
& tijtli al here tene was turned in- to ioye, 2476
& as bliue wip blisse pei busked hem homward,
wip al pe murpe vpora molde pat men mi^t diuise.
but eche man al nijt inned him where he mi^t,
& whan hit dawed, deliuerli dede hem homward. 2480
& wi3tli whan pei horn come wittow for sope,
pe prouost ful prestli al pat puple warned,
to buske bliue to pe quarrer pe beres to take,
pei went wip god wille * but wan pei pider come, 2484
pei founde al awei fare bi-fore pat per wore,
po ne wist pei in pe world whider hem to seche,
but hi^ed hem homward * fast as pei rr^t,
& token redli here rest at here owne wille. 2488
pe prouost dede pertli prefer al a-boute,
what man vpon mold * mi^t pe beres take,
he schuld gete of gold garissouft for euere.
6 *
so he put the
provost's son
down, quite
unharmed.
and went off as
nimbly as if he
had but gone
half a mile.
The provost rides
up, recovers his
son,
[Fol. 40 &.]
and looks to see
if he is harmed.
and is glad to find
him whole.
The people's
sorrow is turned
into joy.
They rested all
night where they
could,
and repaired next
day to the quarry.
Finding nothing
there, they
return home.
The provost pro-
claims a reward
for taking the
bears;
THE WERWOLF BRINGS THE FUGITIVES FOOD.
and many men
looked for them,
but none found
The werwolf
returned to
William and his
mate.
well charged with
wine and meats.
He then goes
away again, to
their great
wonder.
[Fol. 41.]
They feel sure the
beast is of man's
nature.
He never fails
them at need.
They eat and
drink, and rest a
day and a night.
Early next
morning, some
colliers come near
their hiding-place.
The colliers begin
to talk, and one
says if the white
l>ears were there,
nothing should
fctvethem;
Many man by his mi^t medled him f er-after, 2492
a-boute bi eche side f o bestes for to seche.
but as god ^af f e grace no gom mi^t hem finde,
so happiliche f ei hem hidde * f ei hadde swiche grace.
& forto telle what tidde of fat tide werwolf, 2496
fat ni^t fat hadde f e prouost sone for-left,
he wan a-^eii to willmm & to his worf make,
wel i-charged wif wyn & wif gode metes,
fat he wan bi f e weie as he f ider went. 2500
& bliue fat he bar be-fore wilKam hit leide,
& went him wi}tly a-wei fro hem sone.
f erof was willmm a-wondred & meliors alse,
why f e best nold abide * fat so wel hem helped, 2504
& seide eif er til of er " now sertes, for sof e,
f is best lias ma?mus kynde it may be non of er.
se what sorwe he suffres to saue vs tweine !
& namli, when we han nede neuer he ne faylef , 2508
fat he ne bringef wher we ben fat to vs bi-houes.
he fat suffred for our sake sore wondes fiue,
he our buxu?ft best saue * & hald vs his Hue."
" amen, sire," seide meliors " marie fat graunt ! 2512
nade his help hende ben we hade be ded ^ore."
f ei made hem fan merye wif mete fat f ei hadde,
& eten at here ese for f ei were for-hungred,
& rested fere redeli al fat longe day, 2516
& al f e ni}t next after to neuen f e sof e,
for meliors was so wery * fat sche ne walk 1013 1.
& erliche on f e morwe * er f e sunne gan schine,
choliers fat cayreden col come fere bi-side, 2520
& of er wi^es fat were wont wode forto fecche,
fast f er wilh'am was & his worf burde.
f e kolieres bi-komsed to karpe kenely i-fere ;
on of hem seide sadli f ise selue wordes : 2524
" wold god f e white beres * were here nowf e,
alle f e me?^ on mold ne schuld here liues saue,
for wi3tly wold ich wende and warne f e prouost,
SOME COLLIERS COME NEAR THE HIDING-PLACE. 85
& titliche schuld J?ei be take * & moche tene suffre ;
for breme beres fbel l bei none as bei be-semen, 2529 that they are not
/. really bears, but
It is bemperours dou3ter bat so digised wendej), the emperor's
. , r i>iii , o daughter and a
wib a LcomlicneJ kni^t 2 j>at kai^t nab hire loue. knight.
J?er-fore Jjese cries ben so kenliche maked, 2532
what man on molde * mow hem first fynde,
he mai gete so moche gold * J>at pore worb he neuer.
wonderli a werwolf * yesterday hem saued. A werwolf had
saved them
ba pertly be prouost barn bar a-way from alle ; 2536 yesterday,
wliile me?? hunted after hem bai han a-wai schaped. [Foi. 41 j
bi him bat me bou^t were jjei bobe here,
jjei schuld wicche wel ^if bei a-wei went,
bomh ber were werwolfs wib hem foure schore ! " not 8ave them t *
day.
jjen was meliors nei^ mad al-most for fere, 2541 Meiior was very
vere
lest bat foule felbe schold haue hem fouwde bere,
& darked stiile in hire den for drede, boute noyse.
wi3% a-noj>e>- werkman bat was ber be-side 2544
gan flite wib bat felbe bat formest hadde spoke, one >
seide, "do bi deuer * bat bow hast to done.
what were be be beter nou^ * bei^h be beris were here,
to do hem any duresse] J>ei misdede ]>e neuer. 2548 nothing to M.
Mani hard hape han bei a-schapet,
& so i hope bei schal ^it * for al )>i sori wille.
god for his grete n^t fram greues hem saue, pwenre em .'
& bring hem bo>e wib blis bere fei be wold. 2552 fj^/^ 8 ' our
do we bat we haue to done & dijt we vs henne, business."
sum seluer for our semes 3 in ]?e cite to gete."
o , . j So they returned
bei hadde blme here burbenes * & bi-gunne to wende, to the city .
ne is swete wi^t seie hem na more ; 2556
but holliche had herd al here huge speche.
jjan seide wilb'am wi^tly bese selue wordes,
" Meliors, my swete hert now mow we no more Jj more U8e to
In bise breme bere-felles a-boute here walke, 2560
1 Read " beres be thei none." M.
3 Read " With a komli knizt," or something similar. M. See
L 2637. 3 See note.
86
THE WERWOLF KILLS A HART AND A HIND.
Melior says that
any one who
meets them in
their own clothes
will know them.
What is to be
done?
}if we wist in what wise how to worche beter."
" certes, sire, pat is so]) " * seide meliors pan,
" }if we walken in pes wedes i wot wel for sope,
& al pe curctre knowep what cas we ben inne, 2564
what man so vs metes may vs sone knowe.
I ne wot in wat wise to worche be best."
" nor ich, i-wisse," sede will/am " but worpe god wij>
alle."
Just then, the
werwolf killed a
huge hart and a
hind, and left
them.
IFoL 42.]
William perceived
that the werwolf
meant them to
use the skins, and
to leave the
bearskins.
They pray that
the werwolf may
never come to
barm.
Said William,
" Let as flay these
beasts, and array
ourselves in the
skins."
William nays the
hart, and Melior
the hind.
They sew each
other up in the
While pfe tvo derlinges talked to-gadere, 2568
pe werwolf an huge hert hade hunted rijt pider,
& ri^t be-fore hem bope brou3t hit to depe ;
& hastilyche pan hi^ed * & an hinde brou^t,
serued it in pe same wise as pe hert bi-fore, 2572
& went wi^tly a-wei * wit-oute any more,
pan wist wilk'am wel bi pe bestes wille,
pat he pe hert & pe hinde hade pere slayne,
him & his loueliche lemmas * to lappe in pe skinnes,
& bileue pere pe beres felles. * pat so busili were a-spied.
& mekli pan to meliors he imwged what he pou^t,
& seide, " se wich a selcoup pis semliche best worchep,
for-pi cnst,crouned king kepe him fro sorwe, 2580
& late man neuer haue mi}t him to misdone."
"pat graunt god," seide meliors "for his swete mi^t ;
for nere pe help of heuen king & pe hende best,
oure lines hadde be lore many a day seppe." 2584
" }a, i-wisse," seide will/am ' " my derworp herte j
for-pi at oure bestes wille worche we noupe.
hastili hulde we pe hides of pise bestes, , ,' "
Greipe we vs in pat gere to go ferper hennes." 2588
wilh'am hent hastili pe hert & meliors pe hinde,
& a[s] smartli as pei coupe pe skinnes of-turned.
eiper gamliche gan grepe oper gailiche per-inne,
pat pe skinnes sat saddeli sowed to hem bope, 2592
as hit hade ben on pe beste pat hit growed.
& better pei semed pan to si^t * semliche hertes,
THEY DRESS UP AS A HART AND HIND.
87
fan fei semed be-fore beres whan fei were, 2595
so iustili on ef er of he??^ were ioyned f e skinnes.
I nd whan fei were greif ed gayli in fat gere,
" fei seten in here solas til swine jede to rest.
whan it neijet nijt, J>ei nold no longer a-bide, 2599
but went for]? on here weie * for wel list he?Ji gone,
& here semli werwolf * sewed fast after,
fat wittily taujt hem fe weies * whider f ei wende
scholde,
sechande towarde cisile f e sotilest weyes.
<fe namliche on fe morwe many men hem sou3t 2604
In wodes & wildernesse wide where a-boute,
& as f ei walked in wodes * wif ful gode hoiwdes,
f ei founde f e beres skinnes & f e bestes flayne.
fat it was an hert & an hinde hastili f ei knewen,
& wist wel fat fei went * wrapped in fe skinnes, 2609
f ei fat bi-fore had be as tvo white beres,
& wist fat f ai in wast wroujt f er to-fore
for al fe hard huntyng fat fei hadde maked. 2612
& folwe hem durst fei no ferre for a gret werre,
fat was wonderli hard in f e next londe,
<fe f o f e seute sesed after f e swete bestes.
Mujzge mai [i] l no more of noma?i fat hem folwed,
ac of fe hert & f e hinde herkenes now ferfer. 2617
At night-time
they set out
again,
the werwolf
following,
[Fol. 42 &.]
who guided them
towards Sicily.
Next day some
men found the
bearskins, and the
flayed beasts,
and knew that
they were now
dressed as a hart
and a hind.
But they dared
not pursue them,
be cause of a great
war that was in
the next land.
I
ji went fast on here way fe werwolf hem ladde The werwolf led
them over country
ouer mures & muwtaynes & many iaire pleynes ; that ws
but alwei as fei went wasted fei it founde. 2620
for burwes & bold tounes al for-brent were, / <
but jit were fei wif walles warchet a-boute. fy^
& al was wilk'am landes wittow wel for sobe, it w
he fat fere was an hert ; heres f encjiesoun,
whi f e wer & fat wo f o was in fat londe.
^e han herd here bi-fore as ich vnderstonde,
1 Read " mai t no more." M.
2624
It was William'*
own country.
88 THE SPANIARDS BESIEGE PALERMO.
For Ebrouns, o f ebroufis f e kud king fat fat kingdom out
was king of ' of poyle & of cisile ' of pallerne & calabre, 2628
Palermo, 'and' & was willmms fader * fat went fere as an hert,
Calabria, and was pij PJI j VP
dcad & aed was & doluen mam a day bi-iore.
& his comeliche quene as god wold, jit liuede,
wniiam's mother fat was willmms moder & was a menskful lady. 2632
sche had a derworf e doujter to deme f e sof e,
on f e fairest on face * and frelokest i-schapen, S*^ 1
fat euere man vpon molde mijt [on] diuise ; !
wniiam's sister sche was jonger fan wilKam * bi fulle fre jeres. 2636
& f e kud king of spayne hade a comliche sone,
fat was a kud knijt and kene man of armes ;
for him, was f e werwolf so wickedli for-schaped
f urth malice of his stepmoder as je mow here after ;
ac bref er were f ei bof e as bi on fader. 2641
had been sought be kud king of spayne coueyted for his sone
in marriage by the * .
king of Spain's fat worfi may den fat was wilh'ams suster ;
son, the werwolf a
half-brother. ac f e quen lor no cas no wold fat wedding graunt ;
for-fi fe king & his sone swiche werre a-rered. 2645
n i! r ref " a1 '. for f ei hadde luferli here lond brend and destrued,
the king of Spain
had invaded the brent bold borwes, & burnes bruttened to def e,
& of-sette hire so harde f e sofe for to telle, 2648
fat prestli to hire puple * to palerne sche ferde ;
younger than
himself by three
years,
and besieged the & i, e ki ng bi-seget be cite selcoubli harde,
queen in Palermo. r
& mani a sad sau3t his sone f er-to made,
ac doujti men deliuerli defended it wif-inne ; 2652
but sertenli on bof e sides was slayn muche puple,
& fat lasted so longe leue me for so be,
its defenders j, e i O f i,^ c j^ e . O f |j se orcres al sad were,
advised the queen r
to surrender, & come ofte to fe quen & curcseiled hire ^erne 2656
to acorde wif f e king * & graiwte his wille,
for f ei no lenger in no maner n^t nieyntene fat sege,
for moche folk of here fon fel algate newe,
& here men flebled 2 fast & faileden of here mete, 2660
fat f ei mijt in no maner nieyntene f e sege.
1 See 1. 4436. 2 Read " febled " (?)
THE QUEEN ASKS FOR A TRUCE.
89
father, the
emperor of
Greece,
banne bat comliche quen * curteyseliche seide, but she exhorts
them to be brave,
"lordinges, 30 ben my lege men fat gode ben & and hold out,
trewe,
bold burnes of bodies * batailes big to gye ; 2664 A j
but fat 30 grettli aren a-greued gaynli i knowe, I**-
for f ise tenful trauayles * but titli, i hope, /yrf*
al it worf wel amended for f is 30 witen alle, [Foi. 43 6.]
fat i haue sent after socour to my semly fader, 2668 for she has sent
. for succour to her
fat grece haf godh to gye as emperour & sire.
& i wot witterli wif -oute eni faile,
fat socur he wol me sende or elles com him-selue.
It is so fer to bat curctre ae knowe wel be sofe, 2672 who would
' \ _ require some
fat he may nou3t saile swiftli as he wold. time for the
for-f i alle my bolde burnes i beseche & preie,
fo[r] lone fat 36 owe to fe lord-* fat let 3011 be
fourmed,
Meyntenes jit joure manchip * manli a while,
til god of his grete mijt * god tyding vs sende."
& bad f o tvo bold barouns * bliue forf wende
to f e king of spayne & curtesly him seie,
fat sche preied par charite * in pes to late hire lengf e
2676 So she prays them
to hold out a
little longer.
fulle a fourteni3t for-oute alle greues
of saujtes to f e cite or any sorwe elles.
& but hire fader com * bi fe fourteiiijtes hende,
or sende hire sum socour bi f e same time,
sche wold wif god wille wif -oute more lette
Meke hire in his merci * on f ise maner wise,
to giue him boute grucching al fat gode,
so fat sche mijt saufli * wif hire semli dorter
wende wijtli a-wei winder hire god liked.
f e messegeres manli in here weye went,
spagli to f e king of spayne * f is speche f ei tolde.
but he swor his of fat he a-sent nold,
for no man vpo% molde but he most haue
dorter
& f ei titly turned a3en & told so f e quene.
2681
She asks the king
of Spain to grant
a truce of 14 days,
and if her father
did not come
2684 then, she would
submit,
2688 on condition that
she and her
daughter might
have free passage
anywhere.
2692 The king of Spain
, . refuses.
hire
THE HART AND HIND COME TO EEGGIO.
The queen retires
to her chamber,
praying to Christ
and Mary for
help.
[Fol. 44.]
She and her
daughter are in
great grief.
No more of
the defenders of
the city, and the
assaults on it,
but hear about
the hart and the
hind, and the
werwolf.
& whan sche wist witerli f e vville of f e king,
as a woful wommarc sche went to hir chaumber, 2696
& preyed ful pitousli to f e prmce of heuene,
for marie his moder lone to mayntene hire & help,
fat hire foos for no cas wif fors hire cowquerede,
to winne a^ens hire wille * hire worliche doubter. 2700
" no niadame," ! seide hire doubter " marie fat graunt,
for f e blissful barnes loue * fat hire brestes souked ! "
f us fei dwelled in duel ni^tes and daies,
bof e fat corteys quen & hire comliche doubter. 2704
had fei wist witterli whiche help god hem sente,
al hire gref in-to game gaynli schold haue turned.
now sece we of f e segges fat f e sege holden,
& of f e selcouf a-sautes fat fei samen ^olde, 2708
& of f e dou^thi defens of wie^s f er wif -inne.
& listenes now a litel of f e tvo leue bestes,
fat as an hert & an hinde holden here weye,
as fe witty werwolf wold hem euer lede. 2712
The werwolf
guided them till
they came to the
cityofReggio,
where they would
have to cross the
straits
They lay hid near
the harboir till
night,
Af f is hert & f is hinde hende now listenes.
^ so long fei caired oner cuntres as fat crist wold,
ouer dales & downes * & disgesye weyes,
as f e werwolf hem wissed fat was here hole frend,
fan fei samerc sou^t to fe riche cite of rise, 2717
fat set is ful semli vpon f e see bonke.
a gret number of naueye * to fat hauen longet,
& fere fe buxum bestes bi-houed ouer passe. 2720
& so brod was f e see * fat sayle hem bihoued
holliche al a ni^t & vp happe, wel more. xiW
al day f e bestes darked in here den stille
In a ragged roche rijt be fe hauen side, 2724
til it was wif-inne iii^t & alle wi^es slepten.
fan hi^ed fei hem to f e hauen hastily & sone,
1 MS. " made." Read "madame." The word in the text is
called by Bryant a provincialism, but without reason. M. The
same error occurs in 1. 3184, but it is corrected in 1. 3191.
HOW THE WERWOLF SWAM ASHORE.
us f e werwolf hem wissed fat was al here gye,
<fe stalkeden ful stilly ])er stoden fele schippes. 2728
f e werwolf waited wi^tly which schip was Barest,
to fare for]) at fat flod & fond on sone,
fat was gayly greyt to go to f e seile,
& feif liche frau^t ful of fine wines. 2732
f e werwolf went f er-to * to wite ho were fere ;
f e segges were a-slepe fan * fat it schuld jeme, l^ 1
al but f e mest maister to munge f e sof e.
fei were turned to towne to pleie fer whiles, 2736
In nmrf e til f e mone arise arst inijt j>ei nou^t passe.
& whan f e werwolf wist fat alle slept fast,
to f e hert & f e hinde he turned him a-^eine,
& bi certeyn signes sone he hem ta^t, 2740
& f ei folwed him fayre fayn for fat grace,
& he ful listli hem ledes to fat loueli schippe,
& tau3t bi-hinde tunnes hem to hude fere.
f e maistres, whan fe mone a-ros manli in come, 2744
& faire at f e fiille nod f ei ferden to sayle,
& hadde wind at wille to wende whan hem liked.
f e werewolf wist wel f ei were nei3 ouer,
.& bi-fout how were best fe bestes to help, 2748
fat f ei mi3t scaf eles schape of fat schip.
whan f e ludes where nei3 lond he leped ouer borde,
sadli in al here si$t * for f ei. him sew schold
whil f e hert & fe hinde scaped to hunte him
a-boute. 2752
.sone as f e schipmerc seie Lim out lepen,
hastili hent eche man a spret or an ore,
& laurcced luf erly after him his lif to haue reued.
-on so hetterli him hitte as he lep in fe water, 2756
fat he for dul of f e dent diued to f e grounde,
& hade nei$ lost is lif but, as our lord wold,
for al fat sterne strok stifli he vp-keuerede,
& swam swiftili awei fat fei se3en alle, 2760
<& lai^t listli f e lond a litel hem bi-side.
91
when they went
down to the ships.
The werwolf
found a ship
ready to sail.
The men were all
asleep.
[Fol. 44 6.]
The we wolf led
the hart and hind
to the ship,
and they all hid
themselves
behind tuns of
wine.
The men came on
board, and set
sail.
When they were
nearly over,
the werwolf leapt
overboard.
The shipmen,
seeing him,
seized sprits and
oars,
and one of them
hit him so hard
that he dived to
the bottom,
yet he swam
away to land.
92 THE HART AND HIND ESCAPE TO LAND.
& f ei, as folk fat were fayn to forfare fat best,
The men jumped saileden swife to londe & sewed him after.
fonowed n him. f e werwolf was wily & went so soft, 2764
f e schipmen wend wel at wille him take,
AH went after & him alle seweden ' fat to f e schip longede,
ie 1 gged U boV. are but a barlegged bold boie * fat to fe barge 3emed.
whan fe schipme/i wif fe wolf were wel passed, 2768
[Poi. 45.] f e hert & f e hinde fan hoped wel to schape, ^^^T
Mnd come on & busked hem bobe sone a-boue be hacches.
deck
The boy sees but whan f e boie of f e barge f e bestes of-seie,
^Crtr he was nei 3 wod of llis witt ' witow > for fere > 2772
& be-f 0113 1 him fere f e bestes for to quelle.
hit the hind so <fc happili to be hinde he hit banne formest,
that she
tumbled top over & set hire a sad sfciok ' so sore in fe necke,
hatches. fat sche top oner tail tombled oner fe hacches. 2776
But the hart but f e hert ful hastili ' hent hire vp in armes,
*
and carried her & bare hire forf outfr4x>id on a brod planke,
piank, & nas bold wif f e boye no debate make,
but fayn was a-way to fle for fere> of mo gestes, 2780
fer away fro f e see * or he stynt wold.
and, when out of w h an he w ist bat he was wel out of sht,
sight, looked to
see if the hind he be-hilde ^if be hinde euel hurt were.
was hurt ;
& fond sche nas but a-fri^t * for fere of fat dint. 2784
fan saide f e hert to f e hinde hendly & faire,
saying that, if he u a j wor j,m w ht wonder ar fine happes,
had but weapons,
the barge-boy batow hentest al be harm bat i haue deserued !
should suffer
death for it. wold god for his grace & his grete mi^t, 2788
fat i hade here fat to werre falles,
f e boye fat f e barge ^emes a-beye schold sore ;
for f e dint he fe dalt his def were marked."
"Nay," said " nay. my worbi make" * seide meliors banne, 2792
Melior, " let us
rather thank God Greue f e nou^t, for goddes loue ' fat gart f e be fourmed,
fat we so scafli ar a-schaped god mo we [we] l fonk,
& cure worf i werwolf fat wel him by-tyde !
dere god, for deth he drei3h for vs alle, 2796
1 Read mowe we thonk." M. Cf. 1. 2559.
THE ASTONISHMENT OF THE BARGE-BOY.
93
late no seg mi^t haue to sle our gode best !
nere his wit & his werk * we were schent bof e."
" sertes, sweting, fat is so]) " seide wilh'am f anne,
"Go we on oure gate for goddes loue, bliue, 2800
to recuuer sum resset fere we vs rest mi^t."
ful mekli seide meliors wif-oute any fare,
" Go we now on goddes halue ;" fan went f ei god spede,
cleppende comely eiper ofer ' to karpe fe sofe. 2804
May no one harm
or slay our
werwolf ! "
William proposes
that they should
seek a hiding-
place to rest in,
[Fol. 45 &.]
and Melior
Whan f e hert & f e hind were of so harde a-chaped,
fe boye- fat f e barge jemed * of f e bestes hade
wonder,
fat on bar of f e barge so boldeli fat of er,
wif so comely contenaurcce * clippend in armes, 2808
& ferden ferst on foure fet * & sef f e vp tweyne.
& wi^tly after f e werwolf * was we! a-schaped,
fram alle f e sory chipme fat sewed him to quelle,
but treuli non him take to tene namore ; 2812
& to fe hert & fe hinde he3ed him faste.
& whan f e hert & f e hinde had si^t of here best,
f ei were gretli glad * & oft god f onked ;
fat he sauf was & sou[w]d l fro f e men a-schaped. 2816
fan ferde f ei alle forf i-fere fayn of here Hues,
f e chipme?z fat f e worwolf so sadly hade chased,
buskeden a^en to here barge & f e boye hem tolde
wiche an hert & an hinde * hadde f er-out schaped, 2820
wi^tli wen f ei went f e wolf for to sewe ;
& how he hitte f e hinde also he told,
& how f e hert hire hent & hi^ed ouer-borde,
& wif how coynte curctenaurcce he cuuerede'hire after,
& went wi3tly a-wey 'but whider wist he neuer. 2825
f er-of were f ei a-wondred but wist f ei no bote,
whederward forto fare to finde f e bestes ;
but lefte f ei in lisse now listenes of f es bestes, 2828
jmrth wildernesse hou f ei went * & wat hem tidde after.
The barge-boy
was astonished to
see them go first
on four feet, and
then on two.
The werwolf,
having escaped
safely, went after
the hart and
hind.
The shlpmen
returned to the
barge, and the
boy told them his
story,
how the hart
caught up the
hind, and hied
overboard.
1 Read " sound." M.
THE HART AND HIND COME TO PALERMO.
The hart and
hind found all the
country laid
waste.
The werwolf led
them to a rich
and fair town,
named Palermo,
[Fol. 46.]
the very place
whence the
werwolf took
away William at
first.
William's mother
is in a hard strait,
being besieged by
the king of Spain.
Near her palace
was a park,
where the hart
and hind hid
themselves.
The werwolf got
meat and drink
for them.
TTThiderward as f ei werct al wast f ei it foimde,
' bolde burwes for-brent a-boute on eche side,
& e\wr as f e witty werwolf wold hem lede, 2832
faire ]>ei him folwed * as here freiid holde.
& so longe he hem ladde as he him-self f oi^t,
he brou^t hem to a borw^ fat bold was & riche,
& fairest of alle fason for eny riche holde, 2S3&
fat euer man vpon mold mi3t on loke.
perles was f e paleis and palerne it hi^t.
f e werwolf wan wilKam * ferst fro fat place,
whan he was in childhod * as j>e cliauftce be-fore told.
& treuli, ri}t fat time to telle al fe sofe, 2841
Williams moder in meschef wif moche folk fere lenged ;
for f e king of spayne bi-seged hire harde,
In maner as f e mater * was minged bi-fore. 2844
a pris place was vnder f e paleys a park as it were,
fat whilom wif wilde bestes was wel restored ;
but f e segges fat held f e sege had it al destruyt.
fe hert & f e hinde fere fanne hem hed sone, 2848
as f e werwolf hem wissed fat ay was here gye,
vnder a coynte crag fast bi f e quenes chaumber,
& al fat day in fat den * f ei darked, & f e ni^t ;
f e werwolf went wijtly & whan hem mete & drink,
so fat f ei mad hem as mime as f ei mijt fat time. 2853
now of f e buxum bestes * be we a while stille,
& carpe we of f e curteys quen * fat in f e castel lenged.
L
Oo hard was sche be-seged sof for to telle,
^ & so harde sautes to f e cite were ^euen,
2856
The battlements
of the city were
broken by the
war-engines, and
many men were
slain.
fat f e komli kerneles were to-clatered wif engines,
& mani of here mi^thi men murdred to def e.
f erfor fe quen was earful & oft to crist preyed, 2860
to sende hire sum socour fat sche saued were,
for marie his moder loue fat is of mercy welle.
it was ail because I[~nl swiche lif hade sche liued a long time to-fore,
of the queen's
daughter. & al duel fat sche drey was for hire doubter sake. 2864
THE QUEEN OF PALERMO S DREAM.
95-
2868
but seff e on f e selue ni^t f e sof e forto telle,
fat f e hert & f e hinde * & here f ridde fere
vnder f e castel in a crag cau^t here rest,
_be quen was wery for-wept & went to bedde.
a selcof e sweuen sone in hire bed sche mette ;
hire f oujt fat sche & hire [doi^ter] on a dai al-one
weren passed pnueli f e paleys bi a posterne ^ate
to pleie hem pn'ueli in J>e park fat to f e paleis longed,
hire fou^t an hundered M. * were hire a-boute 2873
of lebardes & beres & alle bestes boute number,
Grmili gapande to greue hire & hire doubter ;
& ri^t as f o breme bestes hem bof e schold haue take,
here f oujt, a wi^t werwolf & to white beres 2877
hie^eden harde hem to help * in fat ilk nede ;
& whanne f o two white beres were com hem nere,
fei semde to hire sijt tvo semli hertes ; 2880
& etyer of hem a faire figure in here for-hed hadde.
f e huger hert in his hed had, as hire semede,
f e fasoura & f e forme of a fair kni^t in feld, 2883
& semde hire owne sone fat sche long hade missed,
fat of er hert, as hire f ou^t f e schap hade of a mayde,
fairest of alle fetures fat sche to-for hadde seie,
& eif er hert on his hed * hadde, as hire f out,
a gret kroune of gold ful ol gode stones,
fat semli was to si^t & schined ful wide,
fan f ou^t hire f e werwolf & f e maide bi-laft ;
& f e huge hert him-self hastili fat time,
a3ens alle f e bestes * bliue went al-one,
& bar douft bi eche side ay f e boldest formast ;
was non so stef him wif-stod so sternli he wrou^t.
f e grettest of f e grim bestes * he gat to prison sone ;
a lyon & a lybard fat lederes were of alle, 2896
hire f ou^t, fat huge hert * hastili hade take,
& putte hem in hire prisoun to peyne hem at hire
wille.
f e stoutest & f e sternest * he stijtled sone after, ? '
2888
2892
Whilst the hart
and hind slept,
the queen went
to bed,
and dreamt that
she and her
[Fol. 46 &.]
daughter were in
the park,
when 100,000
leopards and
bears attacked
them,
but a werwolf
and two white
bears came to
her assistance.
The bears
changed into
harts as they
came nearer.
The larger hart
had on his fore-
head the figure of
a knight like her
own son.
The other had
the shape of a
maid.
Crowns were on
their heads.
The hart bore
down all the
beasts,
taking the largest
ones prisoners.
96
The rest of the
beasts fled away
for fear.
[Foi. 47.]
Next she dreamt
and that her
IteStehed over
Spain.
Awaking, she
Tn^wentwee
to the chapel.
THE PRIEST MOSES EXPOUNDS THE DREAM.
fat he ga[r]te ! f e grettest to hire prison loujte j 2900
& redli al bo remnant * of be rude bestes
for fere be-gunne to fle * as fast as f ei mijt,
oMer dales & dounes for drede of the hert.
sone as fe hende hert * hire hade deliuered,' 2 2904
& put here frara alle peril fro f e perilous bestes,
here f ou^t, sche went wijtli * a-^en to f e castel,
& turned vp to fe heisest tour to bi-hold a-boute.
J> an Ip ^ n ^ re ' f a * ^ e T ty arm * ^ as * Ouer TOme, 2908
IIV ^ e ^ arni ' ^ ^ OUer s P a y n 6,
I 30 komly kingdomes komen to hire wille,
orto her^en a i }^ e ^ggt & hire wille worche.
here-of was sche al a-wondred * & a-waked sone, 2912
& for drede of hire drem deulfulli quaked,
& we pud wonder sore & wijtli hire closed,
& romed ]?an redli * al redles to hure chapel,
& godly be-sou^t god to gode turne hire sweuen. 2916
She had a priest
to whom she 'told
her dream.
He said, "Mourn
not, it betokens
succour.
The beasts that
AS for the white
bears or harts
with crowns.
t comli quen hade a prest * a konyng man of lore,
]>at moche coujje of many & moyses he hi^t,
to cowsaile sche him clepud * & be cas him told,
sojjliche al J?e sweuen fat hire a-ni^t mette. 2920
& as tit as sche had told fe prest tok his bokes,
& sey sone of fat sweuen * hou it schuld turne.
he loked on fat comeli quen * & curtesli seide,
" Madame, mourne 36 namore 36 mow wel seie 2924
_, ... . .
fat f e prince of heuerc * ^ou haf prestli in mynde,
& socor sendef ^ou sone hi f is sweuera i knowe.
f 6 bestes fat bi-sett $ou so * & ^our semli doubter,
& duelfulli to def e wold haue ^ou don bofe, 2928
f o ar sofli f o segges fat hard $ou bi-sege,
& don hard here mi^t to destruye ^ou here.
wite 2e of be white beres bat waxen sebbe hertes,
& haue f e fourme in here hed of tvo faire chi[l]deren, 3
1 MS. "gate." See 1. 1365. 2 Catchword" & put hire."
2 Read " childeren." M.
THE QUEEN IS GREATLY COMFORTED.
97
2933
2936
& gode crounes of gold on here hedes graif ed,
f e hert fat 3ou helped * so hastili wif strengf e,
f e lyon & f e lebard to 3our prisourc ladde,
& alle f e bremest bestes brou^t [to] 1 3our wille,
what fat it tokenef telle wol ich sone.
It is a ful kud kni3t schal come 3ou to help,
& fu[r]th 2 his dou^thi dedes destruye fis werre,
& cacche f e king of spayne f urth his cler strengf e,
& sef fe after is sone * fat al f e sorwe is fore, Ap 2941
& put hem in 3our prison f e proddest of hem alle
schul be buxu?w at 3our wille & blinne al fis fare,
& meke hem to 3our merci fat now be misseproude.
& fat ilke kud kni3t fat schal f e kome to help, 2945
I not where he schal 3ou to wiue welde,
but i wot wisli he worf * king of fis reaume.
also fat werwolf fat wif f e hertes comes, 2948
he is a kud kni3t & schal be kud wide,
& f urth him, sof li, i se * f e king schal be deliuered,
& put out of prisouft & god pes be maked.
his sone & alle of er schul be 3our hole frendes, 2952
& schul restore riuedli f e reddpur fat was maked.
f urth f ilke werwolf 36 schul wite of 3oure sone
fat 36 long haue for-lore leue me for sof e,
& him winne a-^en at wille wif -inne a schort time.
& redli, of 3our rijt arm fat ouer rome streyt, 2957
I se wel f e signifiauwce fis schal f er-of falle ;
f i sone schal wedde swiche a wif to weld wif al
I will tell you 1 all.
A knight shall
come to help you,
and take prisoner
[Fol. 47 b.]
the king of
Spain and his son.
And whether he
is to wed you or
not, he will be
king of this realm.
The werwolf is a
knight too, and
shall deliver the
king of Spain.
as kind keper & king i knowe wel fe sof e. 2960
& lelli, of f i lift arm fat ouer spaine lay,
fat bi-tokenef treuli * as tellef my bokes,
fat fi dou3ti sone * schal fi dere dorter 3iuen 2963
f e kinges sone of spayne when f e a-cord is maked ;
fat sche be ladi of fat lond f i left arm bi-tokenef.
1 Read " brou3t to 3our wille." M.
2 Read " fourth." M. See next line.
7
Through him you
shall hear of your
son.
Your son shall
govern also all
Rome,
and your daughter
shall be queen of
Spain."
98
THE KNIGHTS OF PALERMO COMPLAIN TO THE QUEEN.
The queen, on
hearing this,
weeps for joy,
[Pol. 48.]
and prays the
priest to say a
mass to make
her dream come
true.
She looks from
her chamber
towards the
park,
and as she
watched, she sees
the hart and hind
embracing each
other joyfully.
She could not
hear what they
said, but she
watched them a
long while,
till night came on.
After supper,
her knights
bewailed their
evil case,
now haue i said of 30111" sweuen sof li as wol falle,
& treuly al f is schal he-falle wif -inne a scliort terme."
."TTThan fat loueli ladi hade listened his wordes, 2968
& herd seie fat sche schold hire sone a-^en
winne,
wonderli for ioye sche wept for f o wordes,
& sorwfuliche sche sijt last out schold it lett ;
Lest any fals fortune for-dede him furth sinne. 2972
but buxumli fat bri^t lady fan busked to hire chapel,
& praied hire prest par charite * a masse to singe,
of f e trinite in trone, to twrne hiio sweuen to ioye.
deliuerli he it dede deuouteliche & faire, 2976
& sef f en fat comli ladi cayres to hire chauwber,
& weued vp a window fat was toward f e place
fere as f e hert & f e hinde hadde take here reste.
fere fat semli ladi hire set out forto loke, 2980
& strek in-to a styf studie * of hire sterne sweuen,
waytend out at window while sche so f o^t
& vnder a louely lorel tre in a grene place,
sche saw fe hert & f e hinde lye collinge in-fere, 2984
Makende f e most ioye fat man mijt deuise,
wif alle comli cotttenaurcce fat f ei kif e mi^t ; /J*
haden here priue pleyes of paramoures wordes,
but sof li, of nou^t fat f ei seide * mi^t f e quen here.
but of here selcof e solas samera fat f ei made, 2989
so gret wonder wait f e quen * of f e worf bestes
but lenede f er f e long day to lok out at f e windowe,
to se f e selcouf signes * of f e semli bestes, 2992
til f e day him wif-drow in-to f e derk nijt,
fat f e lady no lenger mijt loke on f e bestes.
fan tiffed sche hire treuli & turned in-to halle,
Made a-mowg hire meyne as mine as sche couf e. 2996
whan f ei samen hade souped & sef f e whasche after,
here l kni^tes & hire cuwseile kome hire vntille,
1 "Here" would be more uniform if it were written "hire,"
but this change may be observed in a few other passages M.
THE QUEEN ENCOURAGES HER KNIGHTS.
99
Munged newe her meschef how nei} f ei inisferde j
how here walles were broke wif engynes strong,
here bretages al a-boute for-brent & destroyed,
fat f ei mijt no more meintene ]je sege.
3000 how the walls and
battlements were
broken.
"Nan pat comli quene ful curtesly saide,
J " lordinges, $e ar my lege mew f e lasse & f e more,
& sworn eche bi his side to sane mi rijt, 3005
& manliche men ben beter mow non Hue.
f er-fore, lordinges, for his loue fat let vs be founned,
& for 3our owne worchipe witef me fro schaf e 3008
}ut fro??z f ise wicked men fat wold me spille.
& but god of his grace * sum god help vs sende,
I wol worche al jour wille wif-out ani faile,
whef er i merci schul craue or meyntene f is werre.
treuli, $if me bitide fis tene to a-schape, 3013
wif richesse i wol ^ou reward forto riche for euer,
so fat treuli ^our trauail nou^t schul }e tine."
& alle here gomes were glad of hire gode speche, 3016
& seden at o sent " wat so tide wold after,
f ei wold manli bi here mijt meyntene hire wille,
so long as here lif lasted to ^elden hem neuer."
fan fat comly quen ful curtesli hem f onked, 3020
& busked hem fat time blif e to bedde,
& redly token here rest til ri.$t on f e niorwe.
fan fat comli quen ketli vp rises,
biddande bisili hire bedes buskes to hire chapel, 3024
& made hire prest moyses sone a masse to sing,
& prestli fat while preyed to f e king of heuen,
& to his milde moder fat alle men helpef ,
fat f ei hire socour sende sone bi time. 3028
whan f e masse was don sche went to hire chau??iber,
weited at f e windowe wer sche f e bestes seie,
& seie hem in f e same place f er as [f ei] 1 were ere,
<fe hendli eif er of er fan colled in armes. 3032
1 Eead " J?er as \>ei were ere." M.
7 *
She addresses
them, and exhorts
them to be firm.
[Fol. 48 6.]
Unless God sends
help soon, she
will surrender.
She promises
them rich
rewards.
Her knights
swear never to
yield.
She thanks them,
and retires.
Next day, she aska
Moses to sing
another mass,
and afterwards
watches from her
chamber-window.
.
100
The hot sun had
cracked the hides
of the hart and
hind,
and the queen
sees their clothes.
She points out
the beasts to
the priest.
[Fol. 49.]
He says her
dream is coming
true.
" You know about
the emperor of
Rome's daughter,
who fell in love
with a bold
knight,
and how they
fled from Borne in
two bears' skins.
These are they
yonder !
You must contrive
to get them
here."
THE QUEEN PUTS ON A HIND S SKIN.
f e hote sunne hade so hard f e hides stiued,
fat here comli closing fat keuered hem f er-vnder
f e quen saw as sche sat out bi J)e sides sene,
& wex a-wondred f er-of wittow for sof e. 3036
to ciwseil sche clepud hir prest f e comli quen sone,
& schewed him f e si^t * of f e semli bestes ;
& sone so he hem sey * he seide to f e quene,
" for mary loue, madame desmaye ^ou no lenger, 3040
for f e mater of f e [metyng] 1 mi^tow here finde,
as i descriued f is ender day whan f ow f i drem toldest.
& ^e han herd here-bi-fore how it bi-tidde in rome,
fempmmrs dorter was ^eue femperours 2 sone of
grece,
3044
but no man mi^t here make fat mariage to holde
for sche hade arst leide hure loue on a better place,
on on f e kuddest kni^t knowen in f is worlde,
best of his bodi, boldest & braggest in armes ; " 3048
& bof e f ei busked of rome in'tvo beres skinnes,
sif f e f ei hent hertes skinnes but hou, wot i neuer.
but saufly f is may [i] 3 seye & Jje sof e prone,
fe ^ond is ]?at semly and his selue make. 3052
he schal wi^tli fis werre * winne to an hende,
& bring ]>e from alle bales to fi bote in hast,
& deliuer fi londes a-^en in lengfe & in brede.
Jjer-for no more of J?is mater * is to muwge noufe, 3056
but bi-fenke how ]?e best J>o bestes to winne,
jjat fe kni3t & fat komli were kome to $our chauraber."
The queen
thought she too
would be sewed
in a hind's.skin.
i priest gets a
hide for her.
"Uan fa komeli quen kast in hire hert, 3059-
* sche wold wirche in f is wise wel to be sewed
In an huge hindes hide as f e of er were,
& busk out to f e bestes & vnder a busk ligge,
til sche wist what f ei were }if f ei wold speke. 306$
prestli f e prest fan proueyed hire swiche an hide,
1 Read " mater of the metyny." M. 2 MS. fempmmwrs,
3 Read " may seye." M.
THE HART AND HIND TALK OF DOFFING THEIR HIDES.
101
& driuew for]? fat day to ni^t fan drou$ f ei to reste.
but f e quen er f e day was di^t wel to ri^tes
hondli in fat hinde-skyn * as swiche bestes were,
& bi a priue posterne passad ou^t er dale, 3068
& a-bod vnder a busk ])ere f e bestes leye,
so priueli, but f e prest non parceyue nn^t,
but on of hire burw^-maydenes fat sche loued most.
f ei stoden stille hire to a-bide wif-inne a posterne
jate, 3072
& whan f e surcne gan here schewe l * & to schine bri}t,
f e hende hert & hinde * bi-gunne to a-wake,
& maden in-fere f e niest murf e * fat man mi^t diuise,
wijj clipping & kessing and contenauwce fele, 3076
& talkeden bi-twene mani tidy wordes. 4***
& wilh'am fan witeiii f ise wordes seide,
" a ! loueli lemmarc a long time me f inkif ,
sef f en fat i saw f i semli face bare ; 3080
sore me longes it to se }if it mi^t so worf e."
"bi marie," seid meliors " so dos me as sore,
$our bri^t ble to by-hold * but beter is $ut a-bide.
we wol nou$t krepe of f ese skinnes lest vs schafe
tidde, 3084
til our buxura best * }if vs bof e leue.
for he be tokene whan time is wol titli vs wisse,
what wise fat we schal our owne wedes take."
" treuli, sweting, fat is sof " seid willmm f anne, 3088
" a gret f rowe me f inkes er fat time come ;
but wold god f e quen wist what we were,
& wold hastli me help of horse & gode armes,
I wold socour hire sone * fram al f is sory werre, 3092
& pult hire out of f is peril in pure litel while ;
but of vs wot sche nou^t wo is me f er-fore.
nere it, swetyng, for f i sake of my-self i ne rou^t ;
for moche meschef hastow had onli for mi sake." 3096
"Meschef, sire," saide meliors "nay, murcge fat no more;
1 MS. " schewed." Read " schewe." M.
Arrayed in this,
she goes to the
park, and the
priest and a
bower-maiden
wait for her.
At sunrise, the
hart and hind
[Fol. 49 6.1
awake and
embrace.
William says he
longs to see
Melior's face.
Melior says they
must not creep
out of the skins
till the werwolf
gives the hint.
William wishes
the queen knew
who he was,
and would provide
him with a horse
and armour.
Melior says she is
well contented.
102
THE QUEEN HEARS ABOUT MELIOIl's DREAM.
The queen hears
alk>
Meiior tells a
dream how an
eagle had taken
palace.
[Foi.6oj
William and
for leuer me is f is lif to liaue to line wif f e here,
fan to winne al f e world & want J)e of si^t."
fan clipt fei & keste * & of fat karping left, 3100
& bi a busch lay f e quen bi here-self one,
& herde holli f e wordes fat fei hade seide.
& meliors in f e mene time to will-a'am mekli saide,
" swetyng, sore i was a-drad of a sweuen ?er-while j
Me fo^t fanne an 1 ern er euer i was ware, 3105
hade vs vp take in-to fat hei^e toure ;
whef er it geyne to gode or grame, wot i neiur."
. "nay, i-wisse," sede wilKam " i wot wel fe sofe, 31 OS
fat it gaynef but god for god may vs help."
& as f ei laykeden in here laike f ei lokede a-boute,
& bleynte bi-hinde fe busch & sei3en as bliue,
now an huge ^ nde ' held hire > ere at re st. 3112
" bi marie," seide meliors * " me f inkif fat best slepef ^
& semef nou3t a-drad of vs to deme f e sofe."
4< no, i-wisse," seide wilKam " i ne wot whi it schuld ;
It wenef fat we ben ri^t swiche as it-silue ; 3116-
^ or we ^ e so sotiliche be-sewed in f ise hides.
-^ wist it wigli . ^^Q^Q ^ est es we were,
It wold fle our felaschip * for fere ful sone."
"nay, bi crist," sede fe quen * "fat al
Schaped,
I nel fle ful fer for fere of 30113 tweyne.
I wot wel what 36 ar & whennes 36 come,
al f e kas wel i knowe fat 36 am komen inne."
William wonders, willmm wex a-wondred whan he f ise wordes herd,
frightened. & meliors fe nieke * wex nei3h mad for fere. 3125
but wilKam ful hastly fus to fe hinde sede,
wmiam conjures " I cowiure f e, f urth crist * fat on croice was peyned,
whether it is a fatou titli me telle * & tarie nou3 no lenger, 3128
four fiend!* OI whef er f ow be a god gost in goddis name fat spekist r
oif er any foule fend * fourmed in f ise wise,
& $if we schul of f e hent * harme of er gode."
1 MS. " Me Jjou3t er}>en ar era, &c.' r
wmiam says it
seem, or it would
"Nay," said the
queen, "I know
who ye are."
mankinde
01
'
THE QUEEN ADDRESSES WILLIAM.
T-%an fat comli quen ful curtesli saide, 3132
-* "I am swiche a best as 30 ben bi him fat vs wrou^t.
harm for me, i hope schul 36 haue neuer ;
for as gost on goddis name ich gaynli to 3011 speke,
of swiche kinde ar we kome bi crist, as 36 arn. 3136
but of er breme bestes * by maistrye & strengf e,
han me dulfiilli driuen fro my kinde lese.
ber-for i soust hider socour of be to haue,
& praie fe par charite * & properliche for reube, 3140
deliuer me of duresse & do me haue my lese, ^ few
& lelli f ow schalt be lord f er-of al f i lif time.
& fat menskful maide * fat fere myd f e lies,
schal be mi lef lady fis lordchip to weld. 3144
for f e real emperour of rome is redeli hir l fader,
forf i wel i wot sche is worf i to weld wel more,
I knowe al f e couyne of cuntre how 36 went,
& 36 ben welcom to me * bi crist fat me made. 3148
& of sorwe i haue suffred sone wol i telle.
f e proude king of spayne wif pride me bi-segef ,
& haf luf erli al mi lond wif his ludes wasted,
& al fis duresse he me dof . for my dorter sake ; 3152
asent wold sche nou^t his sone to wif hire weld,
f er-for he worchef me wo & wastef al my londes,
saue onliche in fis cite where soiourne wot i neuer.
but help hope i in hast to haue of f e one ; 3156
to amende my meschef i meke me in f i grace,
& pleyn power i fe grauwt prestli alse swife,
to lede al my lordchip as f e lef likes ;
boute eny maner mene * mayster i f e make ; 3160
wif-f atow winne al my worchip as i ere wait."
ban was will-iam gretli glad & oft god bonked,
. . .
whan he wist it was f e quen * & w^tli he sayde,
" Madame, by fat menskful lord fat vs alle made,
$if i fis time mijt trust treuli to 3our sawe, 3165
so fat 36 wold lelli my lemman saue & loke,
103
harm them >
that fact > 8 ^e
implores him to
aid her, and he
f Fo1 - 50 & -3
her lands,
but she hopes to
have William's
help against him,
wmiam rejoiced
when he knew
the queen,
1 MS. " his," altered to " hir " by a later hand.
104
WILLIAM PROMISES TO SERVE THE QUEEN.
and promises to
serve her
faithfully.
All three go
together to the
postern-gate.
The bower-
woman, who was
[Fol. 51.]
waiting, was
nearly mad with
fear,
but the queen
reassures her,
and asks if she
does not know
her again.
She says she is
frightened of the
others.
The queen tells
her to keep
it all a seeret.
whil i busily buske a-boute 30111 bales to bete,
al my help holliche 36 schul haue at nede ; 3168
feif li boute feyntise * 3011 faile schal ich neuer,
as long as any lif me lastes, for sof e."
Gretli was f e quen glad & godli him f onked,
& loueli him & his lemmas laujt bi fe handes, 3172
& ferden for]) on here fet feif li to-gadere
priueli to f e posterne & in passed sone.
& jit stod f e maide stille f e quen to a-bide, l^
& whan sche saw fo fre bestes so froli come, *'' 3176
so hidous in f o hides as f ei hertes were,
sche wex wod of hire wit wittou, for fere ;
& rapli gan a-way renne to reken f e sof e.
but fat comli quen called hire a-jene, 3180
& earful [sche] * com whan sche hire clepe herde.
" whi carestow," sede fe quene * " knew f ow noujt f e
sofe,
fat i was tiffed in a-tir when i wend fro fe 1 "
" jis, madame," k sede f e maide " but, bi marie of heuen,
but i a-wede neie3 of wit for fo werder bestes, 3185
fat folwe 3our felachip so ferli f ei are."
" f ei wol do no duresse * bi dere god of heuen ;
for hem i went in fis wise to win in-to fis place. 3188
but loke now, bi f i lif . fat no lud here-of wite,
how f ei hider come her-after neuer more."
" nay, bi marie, madame " f e maide fan seide,
" fis dede schal i neuer deschuuer f e deth forto suffer."
The queen takes
them to a chamber
in the tower.
I
Two baths are
soon made ready
comli quen fan takef meliors by fe hande, 3193
& bi-fore went william * & after-ward f e quene ;
brou3t hem to a choys chaumber * vnder f e chef toure,
f[er]e 3 were beddes busked for eny burn riche. 3196
& tvo baf es were boun by a litel while,
1 Perhaps better thus, " earful sche com." M.
2 MS. " made ;" see 11. 2701, 3191.
MS."Je." Read " there." M.
WILLIAM AND MELIOR TAKE OFF THE HIDES.
& a-tired tryli to trusty trewe lordes.
sone f e quen kau^t a knif & komli hire-selue
william & his worf i fere * swiftli vn-laced 3200
out of f e hidous hidus & in a hirne hem cast.
& whan f ei were closed worf li in here wedes,
alle men vp07^ mold nujt sen a fair coupel
fan was bi-twene wilh'am & f is worf i mayde. 3204
f e quen hire clipt & kest & gret comfort made,
& sef f en bliue dede hem baf e * bof e tvo wel faire,
& greif ed hem gaili * in garnemens riche, 3207
& manli made hem atte hese * wif alle metes nobul,
& wif v f e de[r]worf est l deintes of drinkes fat were ;
to mu?2ge more nis no ned nou^t missed f ei f anne.
whan f ei merili at mete * hade made hem at ese,
fat comli quen to wilh'am curtesli saide, 3212
" swete sire, 36 me saye what signe is f e leuest
to haue schape in f i scheld to schene armes ? "
"bi crist, madame," sede fe kni3t "i coueyte nou^t
elles
but fat i haue a god schelfd] * of gold graif ed clene,
& wel & faire wif-inne * a werwolf depeynted, 3217
fat be hidous & huge * to haue alle his ri3tes,
of f e couenablest colour to knowe in f e feld ; .
ofer armes al my lif atteli neuer haue." ^*** ' ' 3220
f e quen fan dede comauwde to carfti 2 men i-nowe,
fat deuis him were di3t er fat day eue,
to wende in-to werre * in world where him liked ;
fat was pe?les a-parrayl to proue of alle gode. 3224
105
The queen with a
knife unlaces the
hides.
William and
Melior seem a
fair couple.
[Fol. 51 b.]
They bathe, and
are richly dressed
and go to meat.
The queen asks
William what
cognisance he
will have on his
shield.
He replies " .
werwolf on a
shield of gold.'
The queen has it
made for him.
A Iso fat comli quen as fat crist wold,
**f hade on f e sturnest stede in hire stabul tehed. She had in her
stable a very
fat euer man vpow molde n^t of heren, spirited horse,
& doutiest to alle dedes * fat any horse do schuld. 3228 husband's,
f e king ebrourcs it ou3t fat was hire lord bi-fore,
& fro f e day fat he deiede durst no man him nei3he,
1 Read " derworthest." M. 3 Read " crafti." M.
10G
THE STORY OF EBROUNS* HORSE.
since Ebrouns' ne be so bold of his bodi on his bak to come, 3231
death, no one had
dared to mount but euer stod teied in fe stabul wif stef irn cheynes ;
& queyntliche to his cracche was come swiche a weie,
fat mew im^t legge him mete & wateren atte wille.
f e horse sone hade sauor of fat hende knijt,
[Foi. 52.] & wist, as god wold it was is kinde lord. 3236
knowing w'iiiiam, as bliue, al his bondes he to-brak for ioye,
brake all his
bands for joy,
and neighed
wondrously.
And this is told to how sternli in be stabul be stede ban ferde,
the queen.
& had broke alle his bondes no burn durst
& so gan fare wif his fet & ferliche nei3ede,
fat men wend he hade be wod * & warned f e quene,
3240
him
nei^he.
wmiam hears whan willmm herde bise wordes g he saide to be quene..
about it, and asks
what sort of a " Madame, 1 what stede is fat fat so sterne is hold 1 ?
Is he ou^t dou^ti to dedes fat men don of armes 1 "
" 3a, certes," saide f e quen * " sof for to telle, 3245
a worf ier to fat werk wot i non in erf e,
3if any man vpow mold rni^t wif him dele.
"it was Ebrouns' he was mi lordes, wil he liuede * fat i so moche louede,
& for his loue sertenli i do f is stede ^eme." 3249
" Mademe," sede will/am * " $if it were 3 our wille,
I wold preie par charite & profit fat may falle,
i for fat i most haue fat horse whan i schal haue to done.
3253
it.
I wol to medis my-self manliche him
sette vpo/i his sadel & .semli him greif e."
She says he may certes ," sede be quen "i seie be at onis,
have whatever
he pleases; he
thanks her.
holli of al fat i haue * here i make f e maister,
to do f er-wif bi day & nijt as f e god f inkes."
f er-of was wilh'am glad & wi3tli here f onkes,
fan asked f ei f e win * & went to bedde after,
for it was forf [to] ni^t 2 faren bi fat time.
"Pveliuerli on f e morwe er f e day gan dawe,
Next day, the *-' be stiward of spavne * bat stern was & bold,
teward of Spain f
hadde bi-seged fat cite selcouf eli hard
3256
3260
1 MS. Madama."
2 See note.
WILLIAM MOUNTS KING EBROUNS' HORSE. 107
wif f re M. of men fat fro were to fyt. S fi^ 3264
& f o f e segges of f e cite sone were ^are,
as dou^ti men of dedes * defence for to make, EFoL 52 6.]
3erne schetten here 3ates & 3emed f e walles.
for of f o wif-inne non wold hem out aunter, 3268 ^t^nSi
so fele were of here fon * & so fewe wif-inne. a sall y-
f e cry rudli a-ros fat reuf e it was to hure,
for f ei wif-inne f e toun swiche meschef were iraie.
fat fei witterli wende haue be wonne fat daye. 3272
titli was f e tiding * told in f e paleys,
how felli here fomen gun fi3t atte walles.
whan wilKam bat wiste whtli vp he stirte* wiiiiam is glad
at the news, and
as glad as any gome fat euer god wrou3t, 3276 dons his armour,
fat he mijt his fille fi^i, ' for fat fre quene.
anow he was armed at alle maner poyntes,
& strei3t him in-to the stabul fere f e stede stod, stable! 63
& moche folk him folwed fat ferli to bi-hold, 3280
how sternli he & f e [stede] 1 schold sti3tli_to-gadere. $w>* ~*
& as sone as f e kni3t kud konie to f e stabul,
fat f e stede him of-saw sone he vp-leped,
& faire wif his fore fet kneled doun to grounde, 3284 The horse
to him on its
& made him f e most ioye fat [manj mi$t deuise, 2 forelegs, and i
& alle frekes fat him folwed * gret ferli hade.
f e stede stod ful stille fou^li he sterne were,
while be kniat him sadeled & clanli him greibed : The knight
* saddles him and
& wan vp wrjtn him-self whan he was 3are, 3289 mounts.
& schuft his scheld on is schulder a scharp spere on
honde,
& gerd him wif a god swerd for any man in erf e.
f e stede liked wel f e lode his lord whan he felte, 3292
he wist him ^ht of dede & wel coude ride,
& braundised so bremli * fat alle burnes wondred
of f e comli cuwtenaimce of f e kni3t fat he bare.
Read " the stede schold stiztli." M.
Read " that man mizt deuise." A common phrase. M. See
11. 2985, 3075.
108
WILLIAM HARANGUES THE CITIZENS.
[Fol. 53.]
All are blithe to
behold the
knight.
The queen and
her daughter
praise him, and
say it will be a
lucky woman who
marries him.
Melior is alarmed
at this,
thinking she
would rather
have William
than all the
world's wealth
without him.
William rides
through the city,
and comes to
where the
defenders held
their council.
They rejoice at
his bold bearing.
FFol. 53 &.]
so schene he was to se in his semli armes, 3296
fat alle burnes were Wife to bi-hold him one ;
for so semli a seg * had f ei nou^t 3016 seie.
fat quen & hire doubter * & meliors f e schene
wayteden out at a windowe wilfulli in-fere, 3300
how that komeli kni^t kunteyned on his stede.
f e quen & here doubter deuised him so moche,
& preisede him perles for eny prince in erf e,
<fc seiden, " wel is fat womman * fat he wold haue !
vnder crist, is no kni^t fat so kud semef ! " 3305
Meliors al f is mater what it ment herde,
& was a-drad to f e deth * f ei deseuy here wold,
to winne willzam here fro * fat f ei so wel praysede,
& seide softili to hire-self f ese selue wordes, 3309
" Lord, }if f e hade liked leuer me hade bene
haue woned in wildernesse l wif mi lemman swete,
fan wonye here in al f e welf * of f e world riche, 3312
to lese mi lemman fat al mi loue weldes."
swiche mistrowe had meliors for f ei so moche lura
preised.
VTow wilh'am on his sterne stede now stifli forf rides,
^ so serreli furth f e cite al him-self one, 3316
fat eche wei}!! was a-wondred fat sei} wif ei^en,
so coraious a cowtenauwce fat kud kni^t hadde.
William prestili priked f er f e puple was sembled,
& alle f e solempne segges fat f e cite ^emed, 3320
bold barounes & kni^tes * & of er segges 2 nobul.
& whan f ei were war of wilKam * wilfulli alle,
f e komynge of f e kuntenauwce of f e kni^t nobul
f ei bi-helden hertly * & hadden gret ioye, 3324 . ' jj
fa so manli a man wold rnele in here side. /^^^
f e nobul blonk fat him bar a[s] 3 bliue f ei knewe,
1 MS.
2 MS.
3 Read " as bliue." M.
wirderneffe." Read " wildernesse." M.
segeges." Read "segges." M.
FOUR HUNDRED CITIZENS MAKE A SALLY.
109
"but witterli what lie was wist non of alle.
wilKam strei^t went hem to & wi3tli saide, 3328
' leue lordes, for goddes loue lestenes my sawe !
it semeth fat 36 ar segges selkouf ely nobul,
& bold burnes to abide in batayles harde,
& wel armed 36 arn at alle maner poyntes. 3332
whi lete 36 foulli 3our fon for-barre 5011 her-inne,
& do 3011 alle J>e duresse fat f ei deuise konne,
& 36 do no defence fat despyt to wreke,
but couwardli as caitifs couren here in meuwe? 3336
Men, for 3oure manchipe * na more fat suffref ,
but wendef ou3t wi3tli & wif jour fon metef ,
hauef reward to jour ri3t * & redli chul 36 spede ;
& 30 wite f ei do wrong f e worse schul f ei happe. 3340
jif 36 manli wif hem mete * f e maistry worf oure,
f ei3h f ei be fiue so fele as we in-fere alle.
& 36 fat wilne to wynne worchipe in armes,
folwef me, for in feif f e ferst wil i bene,
fat smertli schal smite f e alderfirst dint " :
& jerne opened f e 3ates * & 3epli out rides,
whan f e bold knijtes hade herde fat burnes wordes,
& sey him so fersli forf fare so bi-fore hem alle, 3348
f ei wist he was a wijt man & wold nou3t faile l
but fat he schuld hem help f ei hoped for sof e.
& foure hundred fers men folwed him after,
of koraious knijtes & of er kud kempes,
fat for to liuen or deyen * litel hem roujt.
& whan wilKam was war wiche a route sewede,
he was gainli glad no gom f urt him blame,
& a-bod til f e burnes a-boute him were come. v<
f e spaynolnes hem hade a-spiede & spakli gun ride,
wif gret bobaunce & bost blowand here trompes ;
for f ei seij so fewe out of f e cite come
ajens hem fre .M. f ei ne tok non hede
to reule hem of non array but rijt> for gret pride,
i MS. "falle." Read "faile." M.
They know the
horse, but not the
William
harangues them,
asking them why
they let their
foes bar them in.
He exhorts them
to make a sally,
and their courage
will supply their
lack of numbers.
3344 He will go first,
and strike the
first blow.
He opens the
gates, and rides
out.
Four hundred
bold men follow
3352 him.
y
3356
[Fol. 54.]
The Spaniards
attack them.
3360 being 3,000 in
number.
110
WILLIAM KILLS THE STEWARD OF SPAIN.
William exhorts
to yield no inch
of ground.
eche burn bi-fore of er on his blonk prikede,
to asayle f e segges fat fro f e cite come.
willi'am seide to his whie3s wittili for sof e, 3364
" Lordinges & leue frendes listenes to my sawes !
f 63!! 30 be ferd of 3our fon * fief neuer f e sunner ;
f e bolder ou3t we be * f ei ben out of araie.
stonde we stifli to-gader stifly in defens, 3368
& ne leses no lond lordinges, god for-bede !
They array
themselves in
good order.
The Spanish
king's steward
leads the attack.
Let each man \eche lud f enk on his lemma?* & for hire loue so fijt,
love*! f a 7 " to winne worchip f er-wif * in worlde for euer-more.
& in feif, f ei3h eft as fele * of our fomen were, 3372
deliuerli f urth 3our dedes schul f ei deie sone."
kni3tes wif sire wilh'am kau3t [fanne] l god hert,
& realiche were a-rai^ed,' in a litel while,
In a ful styf strengf e to stonde to fi^t. 3376
f er kom a kni3t to-fore f e companye of spayne,
a stif man & a stern fat was f e kinges stiward,
& cheueteyn was chose * fat eschel to lede. ^
& for boldnesse of his bodi be-fore alle he went, 3380
armed at alle poyntes on a nobul stede.
wuiiam perceives william was wi3tly whar of his come,
& gamli to his gomes gan for to seie,
"bi crist, 3ond kni3t fat komef here armed,
dredef litel oure dedes * what-euer he do fink,
but bi god fat me gaf f e gost & f e soule,
I wol fonde be fe first in feld him to mete ;
but our on titly tumbel trowe me neuer after."
spacli boute speche his spere fanne he hente,
& euen to fat stiward dede his stede renne,
& manli as mi^ti men eif er mette of er,
& spacli f e of eres spere in speldes fan wente.
ac willmms was strong inow * wittow forsof e,
& he so sternli f e stiward fat ilk time hitte,
f urth f e bold bodi he bar him to f e erf e,
earth, as dead aa as ded as dornayl te deme be sobe.
a Hnnrnotl *
1 See note.
him coming,
[Fol. 54 6.]
and says he will
be the first to
meet him.
William
encounters the
steward,
and bears him
down to the
a doornail.
3384
3388
3392
3396
THE STEWARD'S NEPHEW ATTACKS WILLIAM.
Ill
*' I-wis," feiine seide william " i wot wel to wisse,
f ow dost vs none?' after no duresse in armes ! "
ac spacly f e spaynoles spewed he was slayne,
fei were [wode] l of here witt wittow for sof e
hastili hent vp his bodi & to here tentes here,
])at it were nou^t in fat fi3t wit here horse troden,
& as bliue boldli f e burnes of spayne,
fou^t manli make wreche here lorlde 2 to queme, 3404
for swiche a lorld 2 of lederes ne lined nou^t, fei held,
non so dou^ti of dedns f er-for his deth a-wreke 3
fei f ou^t f roli pat time what bi-falle after.
The Spaniards,
seeing him slain,
3400 bear Ms body to
their tents.
They resolve to
avenge him.
A ful breme bataile bi-gan fat ilk time, 3408
^**- whan eif er sides a-sembled of f o segges sturne.
Mani a spere spacli on peces were to-broke,
& many a schene scheld scheuered al to peces,
Many helmes to-hewe fnrth here huge strokes. 3412
& redili for to rekene al f e ri^t sof e,
wilKam & his wijes so wonderli fou^ten,
fat fei felden here fon ful fast to grounde.
non mi^t here strok wij?-stond in fat stounde fan, 341 6
so wel for wilh'ams werkes were fei fan herted.
f e stiward had a newe but of 3ong age,
on f e manlokest man * fat men schold of heren,
& dottiest of dedes fat men schuld do in armes. 3420
as swiftli as he wist fat his em was slawe,
he f ou}t duelfulli fa deth fat day to a-wreke.
armed at alle poyntes anon he f ider went,
& presed in a-mang fe pepul f er it was fikkest, 3424
& sone to hem of f e cite a-sembled he f anne,
& fau^t fan so ferscheli for his ernes sake,
he dude to dethe deliuerli fiue gode kni3tes,
1 Read " were wode of here witt." M.
2 Sic in MS. See 1. 3955.
3 MS. " a wrekes." Read " a-wreke," or " a-wreken," in the
infinitive. M. Cf. 1. 3422.
Then began a
fierce battle.
Spears are
broken, shields
shivered, and
helms hewn
through.
William's men
fight well.
[Fol. 55.]
The steward's
nephew
resolves to avenge
his uncle's death,
and slays five
good knights.
112
THE SPANIARDS ARE DEFEATED AND FLY.
Wttliam forces
bis way to him.
The steward's
nephew knows
William by the
werwolf on his
shield.
Their spears
break, and they
fight with swords.
William's sword
grinds through
helm and head
down to the
breast,
and he sends his
foe's horse and
the steward's
horse to Melior
as a present.
fat bold were in bataile to a-bide at nede. 3428
whan wilKam wist of fat werk * wittow forsof e,
f er nas man vporc molde fat him nn^t lette,
fat he ne perced f e pres prestili fat time,
til he met wif fat man fat mijti was hold. 3432
whan f e stiwardes newe * saAv wilKam come,
bi f e werwolf in his scheld wel he him knewe,
fat f e same seg hade slawe * his em f er-to-fore.
& wi^tli as a wod man to wilKam he priked, 3436
wif spere festened in fenter him for to spille.
at f e a-coupyng f e kni^tes [speres] ' eif er brak on
ofer,
swiftli wif here swerdes * swinge f ei to-geder,
& delten duelful deiites * deliuerli fat stounde. 3440
& wilKam was f e wi^tere * & wel sarre smot,
& set so hard a strok * sone after on fat ofer,
f urth helm & hed hastili to f e brest it grint.
f e swerd swiftili swenged f urth f e bode euen, 3444
fat tit oner his hors-tail * he tumbled ded to grounde.
fat ilk stoute kni^tes stede & f e stiwardes alse
wilKam sent sone to his semli lemrnan,
wher-of sche was geinli glad & oft god f onked, 3448
fa he so wel hade wrou^t * in werre fat day.
[Fol. 55 &.]
The Spaniards
turn to flight.
William and his
men pursue them
6 miles, taking
many prisoners.
"TTTilKam 2 & his burnes fan in bataile were,
so felly wif here fon fou^t fat ilke time,
bi a stouftde was non so stef fat hem wif-stonde
but were fayn for to fle eche bi-fore ofer,
wel was him in f e world fat swifliest nn^t hi3e,
ofer on hors ofer on fote for fere 3 of f e def e.
& wilKam & his whiles went after sone,
& maden manli f e chas mo fan fine mile,
453
3456
1 Read " the kniztes speres." M.
2 The capital W is absent, but its place is marked by a very
small w.
3 MS. fore." Read " fere." M.
THE QUEEN AND WILLIAM SEE THE WERWOLF.
113
& grete prisons & gode * goten f ei fat time ;
fat meked hem nou$t to mercy manli ]jei slowe,
& whan f ei time seie turned hem horn a-^ene, 3460
heri^eden l heili god fat f ei wel had spedde.
but holli wilU'ams werkes f ei wittened it alle,
nade his dou^thi dedes be f ei hade be dede alle ;
& louted to [him] as to lord j)e lasse & J>e more, 3464
& eche a gom was gladdest * hoo gaynest him mi^t
ride.
al f e sorwe ])ei hadde suffred [so] lang to-fore,
fei sett it sofli at nou^t so glad were fei fan, 3467
for f e dou^thi kni3tes dedus fat fat day hem helped,
wif al f e murthe vporz. molde * f o n^thi men in-fere
passeden to f e paleys proude of here dedes.
f e comly quen & here doubter * com him a^ens,
& jje me[n]skful meliors wi]> maydenes fele, 3472
& welcomed wilKam as fei wel ou^te,
wif clipping & kessing & alle kinde dedus.
f e quen him loueli ladde * rijt to h[er]e chaumber,
vn-armed him anon * & afterward clofed 3476
clenliche for eny [kni^t] ]?at vnder crist liuede.
]?an sete J>ei fre to solas hem at J?e windowe,
euen oner ]>e ioly place fat to fat paleis longed,
fere as f e quen fond wilKam & his faire make. 3480
& as f ei waited a-boute wil f ei of murthe speke,
willmms werwolf was comen f ider f anne,
loked vpow f e ladies & his loueli maister,
& held vp his foure-fet * in fourme to craue mercy, 3484
& louted to hem loueli * and lelly f er-after,
he went wi^tly a-wei whider him god liked.
f e quen f er-of was a-wondred & to willmm seide,
" sire, saw 36 f is selcouf e of f is semli best ? 3488
wonder signes he wro^t what mai hit tokened"
' ' 313, certes, madame " seide willtam f anne,
<f i sei f e signes mi-self & sof li ich hope,
1 Perhaps miswritten for " heri^ende."
All -are aware
that it was all
William's doing.
They forgot all
their former
sufferings.
The queen, her
daughter, and
Melior meet and
welcome them.
The queen
unarms and
clothes him.
She sits with him
and Melior at the
window looking
out on the park.
The werwolf
appears, and
[Fol. 66.]
holds up his
fore feet as in
supplication, and
goes his way.
The queen asks
what he means.
114
THE QUEEN TELLS HOW SHE LOST HER SON.
-;
William says it is
a good sign.
The queen tells
her story how
she had a son
named William,
who, when 4 years
old, was playing
in the park,
when a werwolf
caught him up
and ran off with
him.
The king and
his men pursued
him over mires
and mountains,
but in vain.
The werwolf leapt
into the sea, and
was seen no
more.
It bi-toknef gret god fat greif li schal vs falle." 3492
" 30, 3if cn'st wol," quod f e quen " [fat] l on croyce
deied ;
but, sire, whan i se fat "best fat f o signes made,
a sorwe sinkef to mi hert i schal ^ou telle whi.
sum time, sire, here-to-fore a semli sone i hadde, 349ft
fat was hote wilKam i-wisse, as }e arn.
feif li whan fat faire child was of foure $er eld,
as my lord and i and of er ludes many,
plei3ed vs her in f e park in place f er i 3ou fond, 3500
for al f e world swiche a wolf as we here sei3en,
It semeth ri}t fat selue bi semblant & bi hewe,
com gapind a gret pace & cau3t vp mi sone,
ri$t bi-fore his fader and of er frakes manye, 3504
& went awey with him so wonderli fast.
My lord & many a-nof er * manliche him sewed
ouer mires & muwtaynes & of er wicked wei3es ;
at f e last f ei him left for mi^th fat f ei couf e. 350&
forf with my sone in-to f e see fat scri best leped,
so fat i herde hider-to neuer of him more.
& certes, sire, for fat sone i hade gret sorwe,
whan i fenk on fat sorwe it firles my hert." 3512"
William
remembers how
he was found by
the cowherd,
but reflects that
the queen said
her son was
drowned.
[Fol.SGfc.]
He tells her he
will stand in her
son's stead.
She thanks him,
and gives him
fall powers.
TTTilKam was in a wer fat it were him-selue.
how f e couherd fe king told it cam him in
minde,
fat he him fond in f e forest in faire riche clofes. 3515
but sche seide fat hire sone was in f e see dronked,
& f e wolf also * fat him a-wei bare,
f e f roli f 0113! fat liim meued f er-of fat ilk time
sone he let ouer-slide & seide to fe queue, 351{>
fat sche schuld make hire merie hire meyne to glade,
& he wold in hire sones stede stand euer at nede.
sche ful godli gan him f onke & gaf him hoi mijth,
to meyntene al hire god * as maister in his owne.
1 Read " the quen, that on croyce deied." M.
THE PRINCE OF SPAIN VOWS REVENGE.
115
fan talked f ei of of er tales til time were to soupe,
& were serued bi ese as hem-self wold, 3525
& so driuerc forth f e day . til f e derke ni3t,
with al f e mirthe vp07^ mold fat man n^th deuise.
f is lessouw let we of hem ' & lest en we a-nof er ; 3528
of f e spaynolus wol i speke how spacli f ei fled ; <JM
f ilke fat went with f e lif a-wei fro fat sthoure, A
spakli to f e king of spayne f ei sped hem fat time,
& seide to him & his sone f e cas fat was falle, 3532
which a kni^t com hem a-^enis conquered alle of er,
so sterne he was & stoute & swiche st[r]okes lent ;
was now so stif stelen wede fat with-stod his wepen ;
& how he in f e stour f e stoute stiward slow, 3536
and his nobul neuew a-non ri^t f er-after ;
& bede wi^tli hem awreke of f e wicked harme,
or alle mew vpow mold mi^th hem schame speke ;
so fele of here frendes * in f e feld were slayne, 3540
fat it was a sorful sijt * to se how it ferde.
whan f e king & his cowseil herde of f is cas,
a selcouf sorwe he made & his sone als,
fat was a ful kud f n^t & kene ma?z in armes. 3544
he was wod of his wit for wraf f e of fat dede,
& praised prestili f is poynt anon of his fader,
fat he most on f e morwe with a mi^thi ost
wende to a-wrek hem of fat wicked dede. 3548
& }if he mette with fat kni^t fat is so mi^thi hold,
he swor sadli is of as tit to his fader,
fat he fro f e bodi [wold] l haue his hed sone,
of er tit take him a-liue no ^ain-torn schuld lette. 3552
f er-of f e king was geynli glad & grauwted his wille,
bad him worche whan he wold & wend whan him
liked.
f e kinges sone aswif e let sembul miche puple,
& triced him to a tidi ost of f e tide3ist burnes, 3556
fat he mi^th in f e mene time in any maner gadere.
i Read "fro the bodi wold haue," M.
8 *
They sup and
make merry till
nightfall.
The Spaniards
who fled told the
king of Spain and
his son of
William's
prowess;
and how he had
slain the steward
and his nephew,
whom the king
ought to avenge.
The king's son
begs his father
that he may lead
a host to
avenge
themselves.
He swears to
have William's
head, or to take
him alive.
[Fol. 57.]
He gets a host
together,
116 HE GETS TOGETHER A HOST AGAINST WILLIAM.
Manli on f e morwe he dede his mew greif e
Gaili as gomes mi^t be in alle gode armes ;
and takes the faire fan with his folk to f e feld he went 3560
morrow. * bi-fore boldli him-self his batailes to araie.
alle his burnes bliue in x batailes he sett,
as redili arai^ed as any rink fort wilne.
He has s,ooo men. & iij. M. fro men in his eschel were, 3564
& alle bold burnes in batailes strong & bigge.
f e kinges sone fan seide to his segges bold,
He asks MS lords " Leue lordinges, for mi loue lelli me telles, 3567
}if i encouwtre with f is kni^t fat f is kare worchef ,
how schal i him knowe what konichauws here he
bere 1 "
A knight says he " sertes, sere," seide a kni^t " so me wel time,
fat kud kni}t is eth to knowe by his kene dedes,
& bereth in his blasoim of a brit hewe 3572
a wel huge werwolf wonderli depeinted ;
fat man driues a-douw to dethe, fat [he] hittes."
The king's eon " sone it schal be sene " seide f e kinges sone,
be^een whoTs 011 " whefer of vs be wi}ttere to winne or to lese." 3576
strongest.
"YTow wol i a while of willmm here telle,
William's men, -^ in what maner on f e morwe is men were araid,
on the morrow, , , . , . , , . ...
are well arrayed, deliuerli at f e dai di^t f ei were alle,
treuli in al atir fat to werre longed. 3580
He divides them & william ful wi3tthli as he wel couf e,
set alle his segges * as f ei schuld bene,
In sexe semli batailes * as fei schuld bene ; l
al be-fore in f e frond * he ferde fan him-selue. 3584
His horse's name ebrouws saurcdbruel so Imt his blonk nobul.
wasEbrouns'
saundbruei. & as sone as f e kinges sone saw him so come,
The prince's men fast he freyned at his folk * what freke fat it were,
polrtMt William & ^ geide ful gone . u for SQ ^ . t ig ^ kni ^^ 358g
fat haf wrou3t al f is wo wel ou^t we him hate ;
1 The last half of this line is clearly copied from the line
before.
WILLIAM DEFEATS THE PRINCE OF SPAIN,
117
alle lie dimes to fe deth fat his dint feles."
]>e kinges sone forsoj>e ne seide f o na more,
but gart his [stede] ! goo * and strei^et to him rides
with his spere on feuter festened fat time. 3593
whan wiLU'am was war & wist of his come,
his men seiden sone it was f e kinges sone,
& dou^thi man & deliuer in dedes of armes. 3596
" lat me worf ," quaf wilKam * " fat schal i wite sone
In feif f ou^h he hade fors of foure swiche of er,
I wol fond with him fi$t f ou^h me tide f e worse."
he dede fen his stef stede stert a god spede, 3600
to f e kene kinges [sone] 2 * fat was a kni^t nobul.
so kenli f ei a-cimtred at f e coupyng to-gadere,
fat f e kni^t spere in speldes * alto-schiuered.
ac wilKams spere was stef wittow for sof e, 3604
& mette fat of er man in f e midde scheld,
fat bof e him & his hors he hurles to grouwde ;
& nei} hade broke his bak * so his blonk him hirt.
william fan wijtli be f e auentayle him hent, 3608
to haue with his swerd swapped of his hed ; 3
but f e segges of spayne soujt to him 4 ^erne,
to haue holpen here lord hastili }if f ei mijt ;
& williams wi^es wi^itli ' went hem a^ens. 3612
f o bi-gan fat batayle on bof e sides harde,
feller saw neuer frek from adam to f is time ;
sone was mani bold barn brou^t f er to ground,
Mani scheldes schiuered & mani helmes hewen, 3616
& many a stif stede strai3ed in fere blode.
bold burnes of bodies * fere were on bof e sides,
fat fayn were forto fijt & to fle hated.
but wilKam so wonder wel fau^t fat ilke time, 3620
1 Read "gart his stede goo." M.
2 Read "the kene kinges sone that was." M.
3 The MS. apparently has " heued," altered to " heade." See
1. 3864.
* MS. him to }erne;" and "to" is altered to "so" by a
later hand.
The prince rides
at William,
w ho is told it is
the prince who
is coming.
William says he
will fight him,-
and rides to
meet him.
The prince's spear
breaks,
bat William's
strikes the prince
fairly, hurling
horse and man to
the ground.
William is going
to " swap " off
his head,
but the Spaniards
come to the
rescue.
A general battle
ensues, very
severe and deadly-
[Pol. 58.]
118
TAKES HIM PRISONER, AND RETREATS.
William fights
boldly, and
prevents the
rescue of the
prince,
whom he drags
outofthem^e,
and assigns to
some citizens to
keep.
The Spaniards
again attempt a
rescue, a fresh
host coming oat
of ambush.
William keeps up
his men's
courage,
but perceives that
the enemies are
too numerous ;
\riik
'-W l
J wherefore he
sjfl^ orders a retreat
to the town.
His men are
successful in
bringing the
prince with them.
Yeomen shut the
gates and man
the walls.
fat no man fat he hit mi^th him with-stonde,
& euer kept jje kinges l sone frara al his kene meyne,
fat non rni^t him winne a-wei for worse ne for beter.
& were hem lef of er lof wilham at last 3624
keuered with f e kinges sone out of f e kene prese,
& brou^t him out on his blonk of fat batayle sterne,
& a-signed of citesens segges i-nowe, 3627
to kepe wel f e kinges sone til f ei come to towne ;
& f ei were blif e of fat bode & bisiliche fondede
fast to ferke him forf ward as f ei faire mi^t.
whan f e spaynols fat a-spied spakli f ei him folwed,
and deden al fe duresse fat f ei do mijt. 3632
a fersche ost hem to help * hastili f er come,
fat was a-buschid f er bi-side in a brent greue.
but whan wilKam was war & wist of here come,
Manly he demeyned him to make his men egre, 3636
bad hem alle be bold & busiliche fi^t,
for here fon gun feynte & felde were manye.
f e kinde cowfort of f e kni^t to is folk fat he made, 2
were als fresch forto fi$t as f ei were on morwe. 3640
but willmm say f er of er side * so fers & so breme,
fat his men mi^t nou}t meyntene here owne,
prestli to hold partjrj to puple fat hem folwed.
for-f i he dede hem deliuerli * drawe toward towne, 3644
& kepten wel f e kinges [sone] 3 for cas fat nii^t
falle,
for ou^t fat here 4 enimys euer worche mi^t.
f ei keuered with clene strengf e with him to towne,
& f e segges of f e cite * but f o fat slayn were. 3648
& ^epli ^omew fan dede f e $ates schette,
& wi^ttili fan went * f e walles forto fende,
so fat feif li of here fon no fors f ei ne leten.
1 MS. " kenges." But see 11. 3591, 3601, 3625.
2 A line lost (?)
' Read " the kinges sone for cas." M. See 11. 3601, 3625.
4 The MS. repeats the words fat here.
THE QUEEN THINKS WILLIAM IS HER SON.
119
"\T7ilKain with his wie^es * is wif-in f e cite nobul,
ha]? conquered wif clene strengf e f e kinges sone
of spayne,
<fe passe)) with him & his puple to f e paleys euen,
with al mirth vpora molde fat man mi3t deuise.
f e quen him mett mekli wif maidenes fele, 3656
<fe meliors & here dere doubter to deme f e sof e,
wif alle worschip & wele willmm )jei receyued,
wif clipping & kesseng & alle couf e dedes.
& wilKam fan wi^tly wif-oute eny more, 3660
f e kinges sone of spayne * spakli to hire 3alde,
to putte in hire prisorw & peyne him as hire liked.
& curtesli to fat kni^t gan sche knele f anne,
forto f onk him f roli of fat faire jeft ; ,3664
for he was mara vpon molde * fat sche most hated,
& hade hir do most duresse for hire doubter sake,
hastili in-to f e halle wif hem fan sche went,
& ladde wilh'am as lord loueli in londe ; 3668
& as bliue f e btirdes brou^t him to hire chaumber,
.& vn-armed him anon & after-ward him clofed y /
a,s komly as any kni^t vnder cn'st fort bene. x^"*/
eef en 3ede to sitte same to solas & to pleie 3672
at a wid windowe fat was in f e chaumber,
& gonne mekli to mene of many gode wordes.
& as f ei saddest in here solas seten fat time,
f e quen hertli gan bi-hold f e kene 3onge kni3t, 3676
& here f ou3t fat time fat in f e world was neuer
a liuande lud so lelli liche of er,
as fat komli kni3t to f e king ebrouws,
fat was lord whil he liued & fat lor[d]chipe welte. 3680
& swiche a sorwe to hire sone sank to herte,
jjat wi^tli gan sche wepe wonderly sore,
whan wilh'am saw hire wepe * wrof li he seide, 3683
" for seynt mary loue, madame whi make 30 f is sorwe ?
^e schuld now make 3ow merie * 3our mene to glade,
fat feynt ar for-fouten .in feld & for-wouwded.
William takes the \
king of Spain's
son to the queen's >
palace,
[Fol. 58 &.] N
and delivers Mm
over to the queen.
The queen thanks
William heartily.
The ladies unarm
and clothe him.
As they sit
together in a
window,
the queen sees
how very like
William is to
king Ebrouns,
and she begins
to weep.
William says she
ought rather to
rejoice,
120 WILLIAM SAYS HER SON IS SURELY DEAD.
since her enemies to SUWme schuld 36 }! nOW ' ^iftes ful gode, 1
[Foi. 59.] & to surame by-hote J>e blifer hem to make. 3688
Mater now haue 30 moche mirie to bene ;
^e han now on in hold * furth him haue 36 schulle
wel 3our worchep a-^ein as 30 wait euer."
The queen excuses d THorsofe, sire," sede Jje quen " ^e seyn al be treube ;
n6r86lij
36 make me mater i-now mirye to bene. 3693
I wot for i so wept i wroi^t nou^t J>e best,
but i nujt nou3t fer-with i-wisse, sire, & treuf e,
so froli a sori fou3t Jnrled min hert," 3696
telling him the & so ])li whi it was be encheson him seide,
reason of her f
sorrow, how hire jxra^t he was liche hire lord fe king fanne,
& hou fe sorwe of hire sone dede hire so to wepe.
fan sede willmm wi3tli Jjese wordes to hire-selue, 3700
wniiam tells her Madame, of bat mater no more now binkes :
to think no more
of it, since both what be ae now be beter so bitterli to wepe.
her husband and .'...
son are dead, se})])e bo]?e J)i su*e & ])i sone am bojje dede ?
Jjei3h 30 dri3en swiche duel * al 3our lif dawes, 3704
and will never 39 gete hem neuer a-gayn late god haue be saules,
come to life again. *
& make 3our-self mirie * 3our mene forto glade."
J>an wax fe quen ful wo wittow for sofe,
fat willi'am sede )>at hire sone schuld be dede, 3708
Still the queen's for hire hert bar hire euer J?at he hire sone schuld bene,
is her son. ei ' bi knowing of alle kontenau/ice Jjat fe king welt.
but of J)at mater no more minged J>ei fat time,
ac turned in-to ojjer tales jjat touched to mirth. 3712
& waitende 2 out at ]>e window as J?ei in tales were,
Looking out, they fan fei seie fe werwolf was com hem bi-fore,
Jtofawetoand' Kortesliche kneling as he in wise coufe,
bow^and goes & louted ^ ^ ^^ . & to ^ lord alse>
buxumli as any best bi any resoun schuld,
& seffen went his wei whider him god liked.
fe quen wi3tli to wilKam fese wordes sede,
1 Catchword, " & to summe by."
2 MS. " waidende." Bead " waitende." M.
THE KING OF SPAIN VOWS REVENGE.
121
3720 The queen hopes
it is a good
omen.
[Pol. 59 6.]
" sire, a selcouf si3t it is of f is semli best ;
Loo, how loueli it a-louted lowe to vs twi3es,
It bi-tokenes sum-what treuli god turne it to gode ! "
" 3a, i-wisse," seide wilh'am " wene 36 non of er,
for fat blessed best neuer boded but gode. 3724 good.
he fat heried helle * fram harm him saue ! "
" amerc," seiden alle fat fere with him seten.
f us driue f ei forf f e day with diuerse mirthe,
& treuli whan it was time turned to mete, 3728 They go to meat.
& serued were of serues * as hem-self liked ;
but speke we of f e spaynols what hem tidde after.
Sone as f e kinges sone was to J>e cite take,
fat his mi3ti men mijt no more him help, 3732
f er was a selcouf sorwe a-mang f e segges maked,
& karfulli to f e king f ei kayred a^ayne,
& told him holli here tene how his sone was take,
& how here segges were slayn * a selcouf noumber. 3736
whan f e king wist as man wod he ferde,
& wrof li to his wi3es * fat fere were he seide,
" whi suffred 36 my sone * so sone to be take 1
36 schul hastli be honged & with hors to-drawe !" 3740
& derai3ed him for fat dede * as alle deie schulde.
but kni3tes of his curcseil * com til him sone,
& saide him soburli * so mi3t he nou3t worche,
for a kni3t him c<wquerede al with clene strengf e,
& hade him out of f e ost mawgrey hem alle. 3745
" o knijt," qwfy ]> e ki n g ' " w ^ at kemp is fat ilke,
fat wan so on my sone is he so dou3ti 1 "
" 30 forsof e," seid on " sire, with 3our leue, 3748
f er mai no man vpo?i mold a3ens fat man stond.
he driuef to dethe * who-so his dent cacchef ,
his dou^ti dedes vs dof more duresse fan alle of er ;
he it is fat fe werwolf weldes in his scheld." 3752
"I mak a vow," quod fe king " to cn'st fat al weldes,
er i ete more mete his nu^t wol i a-saie ;
Great is the
sorrow of the
Spaniards
because their
king's son is
taken.
The king is very
angry, and asks
how they dared
permit it,
threatening to
hang them.
But his lords
said it was owing
to a certain
knight's prowess.
"What Pone
knight's ? " said
the king.
"Yes," they
reply, " the one
with the werwolf
on his shield."
The king vows h
will prove his
mettle ere he eats-
122
HE SETS HIS MEN IN BATTLE-ARRAY.
[Fol. 60.]
Ha shall be
hanged before the
city-gate,
and the city shall
be burnt."
His men are to
fce ready on the
morrow.
& 3if any egge tol wol entre in-to his bodi,
I wol do him to f e deth * and more despit ouere ; 3756
he schal hei3e be honged ri3t bi-fore hire ^ate, *
fat alle f e segges of f e cite schulle him bi-hold,
& sef f en wol i fat cite setten al on fure,
& do bruten alle fe burnes fat be now f er-inne ; 3760
schal no gom vnder god * of er gate it make."
J>an komauwded f e king to do krie as swif e,
fat alle his rinkes schuld be redi 113 1 erli on morwe,
armed at alle poyntes as J>ei no wold be spilt, 3764
& hasteli was his hest fan hendli fulfilled.
F
ul manlich on f e morwe were his men greif ed,
of bold mewnis bodiesse a ful breme ost.
The Spaniards
are armed, and
come down to the
plain.
They find there
500 bodies of
their comrades.
The bodies are
borne away to
the tents, to be
buried later.
The king sets his
men in three
battalions,
of 2000 men each.
3768
3772
3776
Gailier greif ed * were neuer gomes seie,
of alle maner armure fat to werre longed.
fan passed f e spaynols in-to a faire plaine,
f er as f e breme bataile was on f e day bi-fore.
fere fan foiwde f ei fele of here frendes slayne,
Mo fan fiue hundred * of nobul frekes holde.
f e king fan for fat kas * was karful in hert,
& moche sorwe was sone for fat si3t maked.
but fan bad f e king bliue f e bodies take
of alle f e gomes of gode * & greif li hem bere
til f e tentis, til f ei mi3t haue * torn hem to berie ;
& deliuerli in dede was don al his hest.
f e king fan treuli in f re batayles sturne 3780
faire dede sette his folk fast as he im*3t,
In as real aray as rink schold deuise. /^
f er were in eche bataile of burnes tvo f ousand, J^U > ^
armed at alle pointes and auenantli horsed, 3784
In eche eschel stifli set f er f ei stonde schold.
now of wilh'am & his wi3es a-non wol i telle.
William und his
men issue out of
the dty,
TITillmm & his wi3es were armed wel sone,
' as semli to si3t as any segges f urte,
3788
WILLIAM EXHORTS HIS MEN TO FIGHT.
123
& soffcli Iced out of pe cite whan pei seie time.
wilham went al bi-fore as wis man & nobul,
& ordeyned anon his ost in pre grete parties,
& sett of l bolde burnes in eche bataile seuene hundred,
of clene kni^tes armed & o]>er kete burnes, / - " 3793
<fe spak spakli pese wordes pe spaynols whan he seie :
" Lo, lordinges," sede wilh'am " wich a loueli aty
here bi-fore vs of our fon of ferche men & bold ! 3796
Jjer is holli al here ost now beth of hertes gode,
& we schul wel pis day pis werre bring to ende
-onliche 3ourh 2 godes grace & 3our gode dede.
Jjou^h per be mani mo pan 36 * dismaie }e nou^t perfore,
God wol vs ay rescue & with pe ri$t stonde ; 3801
Go we to hem on godes name with a god wille.
<fe i mow come bi pe king * bi cn'st, as ich hope,
he schal sone per-after to his sone wende, 3804
to soiorne in pe cite pat he hap seged 3ore.
per-for, frendes & felawes for him pat 3ou bou3t,
dop 3our dede to-day as dou^ti men schulle,
& gret worchipe schul 36 winne whil pis world lastep."
In jjis wise william * his wi3es pan cumforted, 3809
pat pei hent swiche herte * as hardi men schuld.
pan aswipe pei sembled [eiper ost] 3 to-gader,
& alle maner menstracie maked was sone 3812
of tabours & trumpes no?^ mijt pe number telle.
& eiper ost as swipe fast ascried oper,
& a-sembleden swipe sternli eiper ost to-gader,
Gretand oper gn'mli with scharpe grourade speres. 3816
Mani a bold burn was sone brou3t of dawe,
& many a stef stede stiked pere to dethe,
no man vpow mold mi^t ayme pe number
of wi3es pat in a while were slayn on bope side. 3820
but wilHam as a wod marc was euer here & pere,
& leide on swiche liuere leue me forsope,
[Fol. 60 6.]
ordering his men
in three
companies, of
700 each.
He addresses
them, saying,
" See what a
lovely sight of
oar foes is here !
We shall end the
war to-day.
God will defend
the right.
I will imprison
the king with his
Do doughty deeds
to-day."
Tahours and
trumps aro
sounded.
The hosts
encounter.
Numberless men
and horses are
slain.
William is here
and there.
IMS. ob.'
2 Sic. Read " Jnirh ;" see note.
3 See 1. 3815.
124
THE PROWESS OF MELIADUS THE SPANIARD.
[Fol. 61.]
At first,
William's men
give way.
He rallies them,
and they fight
better than ever.
fat his dales were don fat of him hent a dent.
)>e king of spaine & his kni^tes so kenli hem here,
& so fresli gon fi^te fat at f e first a-saute, 3825
fat fele of wilh'ams frekes gon to fle 3 erne,
whan wilk'am. was war wijtli he hem a-schri^ed, &*
& cuwfort hem craftli with his kinde speche, 3828
fat f ei tit a^en turned to telle f e sof e,
& here hem wel beter fen f ei bi-fore hade.
The king asks,
" Where is he
that bears the
wolf on his
shield ?
I will hunt him
as a hound hunts
a werwolf.
Whoever brings
him to me shall
be my chief
steward."
The son of the
constable of
Spain,
named Meliadus,
bursts into the
thick of the fight,
slaying six lords,
and wounding a
seventh.
William
encounters him.
Their spears fly
into splinters,
and they swing
their swords.
king of spayne gan crie * keneli & schille,
" war be he fat f e wolf weldes in his scheld, 3832
fat haf murf ered mi men & swiche harm wrou^t ?
Mi^t i now haue hap him ones to sene,
I wold him hunte as hard as euer hounde in erthe
honted eny werwolf * but wel he his ware 3836
fat i so many hondes haue on him vn-coupled,
fat he for alle his dou^ti dedes dar him nou^t schewe.
but what man vpow molde so may him me bring,
I schal riuedli him rewarde to be riche for euer, 3840
& mak him my chef stiward to stwtli alle my godes/'/
fan was f er a kud kni^t f e cuwstables sone of spayne,
come wel f re daies bi-fore f e king for to help,
an .c. kene kni^ttes in cumpanie he brou^t, 3844
& him-self a bold burn f e best of hem alle,
& meliadus of mi^ti men f e kni^t was called,
whan he f e kinges cry clenli hadde herde,
as bliue with his burnes he braide in-to prese, 3848
& demened him dou^tili with dentes ful 1 rude,
he slow of f e cite^ens * in a schort while,
six grete lordes and f e seuenf e nere.
whan wilKam was war of his dou^ti dedes, 3852
deliuerly as a dou^ti man he drow to him euen,
Grimli eif er of er gret whan f ei gonne mete,
so spakli here speres al on speldes went.
& swiftli sef f e with swerdes swonge f ei to-gider, 3856
1 Over /;(?) erased, full is written in a later hand.
WILLIAM ATTACKS AND SLAYS MELIADUS.
125
fat many were a-meruailed of here dou}ti dedes.
& f is nii3ti meliadus in fat meling while
a sturne strok set wilKam on his stelen helm,
& wounded him wickedli * wittow forsof e. 3860
whan f is bold william * saw his blod so breme,
li^t as a lyowi ' he leide on al a-boute,
& marked fat meliadus with mayn swiche a dint,
fat furth f e helm & f e hed hastili to f e gurdel 3864
his brond his bodi to-cleued for alle his bri^t armes ;
& he tit ouer his hors tayl tombled ded to f erf e.
f er-of williams wi^es were wonderli gladde,
& as sori in f e of er side * f e segges were of spaine,
for in fat meliadus mi^t was here most hope, 3869
to haue conquered william wif clene strengf e of armes.
but whan f ei seie him ded sone gun f ei turne,
and to flen as fast as f ei faire mi^t. 3872
but willi'am & his wi^es so wrou^ten fat time,
no rink f ei mijt of-reche recuuered neuer after,
ne no man vpon mold mi^t ayme f e number
of f e freliche folk fat in f e feld lay slayn. 3876
[Fol. 61 &.]
Meliadus wounds
William in the
head.
William, seeing
his own blood,
fights like a
lionj
and cleaves
Meliadus through
helm and head
to the girdle.
The Spaniards are
disheartened,
and turn to flight,
very hotly
pursued.
I
TTThan f is tale was told to f e king of spayne,
how f e mi^ti meliadus * for alle mm was slawe,
& bi-held how his burnes bi-gonne to flene,
& how william & his wi^es * wi^tli hem folwed, 3880
& duelfulli driuerc douw to dethe fat f ei of-toke,
also swif e for sorwe he swonede for fere.
& whan he wi^tli a-wok wodli he ferde, 1
al to-tare his a-tir * fat he to-tere mi^t, 3884
& seide after anon ' " alas ! what to rede !
I se al rni folk fle * for [fat] frekes dedes ;
was neuer maw vpon mold fat swiche mi^t wait ;
It is swn deuel degised fat dof al fis harm." 3888
bi fat saw he wilh'am ' winne him ful nere,
& slou^ doim in his si^t * his segges al a-boute,
i MS. " forde." Eead ferde." M.
The king, hearing
that Meliadus is
slain,
swoons for fear,
and, recovering,
tears his attire,
thinking William
must be a devil.
Seeing William
come, he flees.
12G
THE SPANIARDS FLEE IN DESPAIR.
[Pol. 62.]
William pursues
him, and bids
him yield.
The king rallies
his men, and
makes a stand.
William and his
men soon slay
100 of them, and
take 10 score of
the "tidiest."
The king, seeing
all is hopeless,
again flees.
William catches
him up, and
again bids him
yield.
He must make
amends.
& saw it geyned no grif to go him no nere ;
as bliue with his baner he gan awei flene. 3892
whan william was war ho we he a-wei went,
prestili de-parted he fat pres & pnked him after, .. / ;/
& ful titli him of-tok * & stoutli him aschried, CA
bad him ^epli him jeld or ^erne he schul deie. 3896
whan f e [king] l saw him com he sede to his kni^tes,
" defende we vs dou^tili or we dei}en sone ;
f er go]? non of er grif it geinef nou3t to flene.
& more mensk it is manliche to deie, 3900
fan for to fle couwar[d]li 2 for ou^t fat mai falle."
" certes, sire, fat [is] 3 so]) " seide his men alle,
" f fir-fore now in-dede * do we what we mowe."
fan turned f ei titli ajen & trustili gon fijt, 3904
a[s] 4 fersli as f ei nade fou^t nou$t bi-fore.
but wilKam & his wi^es were so breme,
& so sturnli in fat stour stered hem fat time,
fat f ei hade in a while a hundred i-slayne, 3908
& taken of f e tidiest mo fan ten schore.
f e king saw his segges were slawe him bi-fore,
& noft mijt f e werwolf cowquere in no wise,
& whas duelfulli a-drad lest he deie schuld, 3912
& gan to fle frarn f e ost as hard as he mi^t ;
& hise men fat mi^t manli gon to flene.
but wilKam perceyued * what pas f e king went,
& hastili lu'3ed after & him of-toke, 3916
& keneli to him kried " sire king, 3eld f e swif e,
of er f i deth is i-dijt deliuerli rijt here.
Meke to make a-mendis for al f i mis-gilt
f atow hast reised in f is reaume & rijt long meyn-
tened,
& al wrongli wro^t as wot al fis reaume." 3921
1 Read " whan the king saw him com." M.
2 The spelling couwardli occurs in 1. 3336.
3 Read " that is soth." M.
* MS. " a." Read as fersli." -M.
WILLIAM TAKES CAPTIVE THE KING OF SPAIN.
12T
1*0 he seie no better bote nede he most him 3eld,
-* or al swipe be slayn * fan sone he a-li3t,
& wi3tli to wilKam his wepun vp to^elde, 3924
& forto wirche his wille * & wilned his mercy.
& wilKam, as kinde kni3t as kortesie it wold,
Godli graunted him grif & grucched no more,
but seide he schuld him meke in merci to f e quene,
& prefer him to prison * prestli at hire wille. 3929
& gaf him to alle hire grace & with-sede no worde.
as tit as f e king was take to telle f e sof e,
eche a seg of his side sone gan with-drawe, 3932
& faynest was eche a freke * fat fastest mijt hi3e ;
& f us was fat ferli fi^t finched fat time.
wilKam went to f e cite * with his wi3es bolde,
& f e king of spayne in cowpanye he ladde, 3936
with alle f e nmrf e vpon mold fat merc mi3t of here ;
& passeden to f e paleise prestili alle same[ra].
f e quen with hire companie com him a-^ens,
& resseyued as reali as swiche rinkes oujt, 3940
& f e king '3epli dede 3elde him to hire prison,
to wirche with him as sche wold at hire oune wille j
& treuli asjit after him tvo hundered & seuen,
f e realest rinkes of f e reaume * dede ri^t fat ilke. 3944
f e quene to wilKam ' wi^tli wold haue kneled,
blif e sche was fat bataile was brou3t to a nende,
& f onked wilKam f er-for mani a f ousan sif e,
but wilKam hent [hire] l vp & harde hire blamed,
& sede, " madame, 36 misdon bi marie in heuen, 3949
fat am an emperours [dorter] 2 & a quen 3our-selue,
to swiche a simpul sowdiour as icham, forto knele ;
36 don a gret deshonour wif fat to 3ou-selue." 3952
" nai, sire," sede f e quen " so me crist help I*
I sette 3ou for no soudiour but for souerayn lord,
to lede al f is lorldschip as 3ou likes euer ;
1 Read " hent hire vp." M.
2 Read " emperours douzter and a quen." M.
The king yields
his weapon,
[PoL 62 &.]
and WilHam. says
he must submit
to the queen.
The king being
taken, the
Spaniards retire
in haste.
William brings
the king to the
queen's palace.
The queen
receives him.
The king and 20T
of his knights
submit
themselves.
The queen would
have kneeled to
thank William,
but he catches
her up, saying an
emperor's
daughter must
not kneel to a
simple soldier.
She says he is not
a soldier, but
sovereign lord,
128 THE KING AND PRINCE OF SPAIN REPENT THEIR RASHNESS.
& blessed be fat burde fat bar f e in f is erf e. 3956
since, but for him, for nade fe grace of god be & fi gode dedes,
she would have . . .
been bare of ail of blisse i hade be al bare bi fis ilk time.
f er i balfulli here-bi-fore was brout al bi-nef e,
jToi. 63.] f ou hast me brou^t of bale * & bet al myn harmes ;
fer-for in al wise $our worschipe* is wel fe more." 3961
All go to hall.
Melior and the
princess lead the
king of Spain
between them.
The queen sets
the king on one
side of her, and
William on the
other.
The lords and
burgesses, and the
peers of Spain, all
Bit down together.
The king asks to
see his son.
He tells his son
they are in the
wrong,
and it is of no use
to pursue a
wayward woman.
The prince says
it is true enough,
and they must
now take the
consequences.
\["ow to touche of fis tale what tidde after.
-^ alle f e lordes a-non * vn-armed hem sone,
& with fe worfi quen went in-to halle, 3964
& f e menskful meliors & f e quenes doubter,
curtesli f e king of spayne bi-twene hem J)ei ladde,
& here meke maydenes * merili fat time
ladden f e of er lordes loueli hem bi-twene, 3968
& alle samen semeli f ei seten in f e halle.
f e quen set J>e king curtesli bi here side,
& wilk'am on fat of er half & with him his suster,
& fe menskful meliors * fat made moche ioie 3972
for f e loueli loos fat here lemman wanne ;
& alle f e lordes of fat lond * in f e halle that were,
& f e best burgeys & of er burnes fele,
& f e pers of spayne fat were to prison take. 3976
f e king bi-sou^t f e quene ^if it were hire wille,
fat he most se his sone to solace him f e more,
& sche ful godli granted & gart him do fecche.
& sofli, as sone as he com fe king seide hirntille, 3980
" lo ! sone ! wich sorwe we haue vs selue wrou^t,
f urh oure hautene hertes a gret harm we gete,
to willne swiche willenyng fat wol nou^t a-sente.
It is a botles bale bi god fat me fourmed, 3984
t[o] willne after a wif * fat is a waywarde euere."
fan seide his sone * " forsof e, sire, 36 knowe,
fat we haue wrongli wrou3t nowe is it wel sene ;
we mot holde ! to oure harmes it helpes nou^t elles,
but giue vs geynli in f e grace of f is gode lady, 3989
MS. " holdes." Read " holde." M.
THE WERWOLF SALUTES THE KINO OF SPAIN.
129
& late hire worche with vs as hire god likes."
j>e king for his sones sawe sore gan sike,
to fat comli quen ful curtesli Jms seide, 3992
" Madame, for mari loue f e milde quen of heuene,
Grauwt me of 30111' grace $if JOM god fink,
$if 3oure konyng curcsayl a-corde wol f er-tille.
let me make a-mendis for al my mis-gelt, 3996
fat i so wrongli haue werred & wasted 3our londes.
as moche as any man mow ordeyne bi ri^t,
I am redi to restore & redeli, more-ouer,
al f e worchep fat i weld i wol of 3011 hold, 4000
al j>e londes & ledes fat long to my reaume ;
so dede i neuer til f is dai * but of god one.
& but 3our cuwseil, madame * a-corde wol f er-tille,
wisses me at ^our owne wille * how 30 wol me binde,
& lelli i wol as $ou likes 3oure lore fulfille ; 4005
ferfer forf mai [i] 1 nou3t prefer for nou3t fat bi-tides."
The king is
grieved, and
sighs,
[Pol. 63 6.]
and begs the
queen to allow
him to make
amends,
promising to
restore what is
right,
and to hold his
lands of her,
or offering to be
bound in any way
she liked.
T<%e quen & here conaail * f er-o'f were a-pai^ed,
* fat he so him profered * to parfourme hire wille,
& gonne to mele of fat mater how it best nn'3t bene.
& as f ei were talking to trete of fat dede,
so hi^ed in-to f e halle * ri^t to )>e hei3e dese,
fat ilk witti werwolf fat wilhYim hade holpe, 4012
& boldli, for alle f e burns as him nou3t nere,
spacli to f e king of spaine * he spedde him on gate,
& fel doun to his fet * & faire hem he keste,
& worchiped him in his wise wonderli with-alle. 4016
& sef f e sone after * he saluede f e quene,
& after here, wilKam and his worf i make,
f e quenes dorter afterward & dede him on gate
out hastili at f e halle dore as fast as he nu'3t, 4020
& went forf on his wei * whider him god liked.
but sone sauage man fat seten in f e halle
henten hastili in honde what f ei haue
1 Read " mai ." M.
9
The queen and
her counsel take
it all into
consideration.
The werwolf
entrs the hall,
goes up to the
king of Spain,
and kisses his
feet;
next he salutes
the queen, and
the rest, and goea
his way.
Savage men who
were there caught
up weapons,
130
WILLIAM SATS NO ONE SHALL HARM THE WERWOLF.
but William
swears that if
any one dares
hurt the werwolf,
[Fol. 64.]
he will kill him
with his own
hands.
Yet all wondered
what it meant,
especially the
king.
summe axes, summe swerdes some speres long, 4024
to wende him after * wi^tli to quelle.
but wan wilh'am fat wist wodli he ferde,
& swor swiftli his [of e] l bi al fat god wrou^t,
$if any burn were so bold fat best forto greue, 4028
were he kni^t of er clerk knaue of er kempe,
he wold deliuerli him-self do him to f e dethe,
fat no man vpow mold * schuld of er amendes ^elde.
f er nas hastili in fat halle non so hardi burn, 4032
fat durst folwe fat best o fote for drede,
so bei were of willmm wonderli a-dredde.
but whi f e werwolf so wroujt * wondred f ei alle,
& whi more with 2 f e king fan with any of er. 4036
& f e king more wondred fan any whi^t elles,
& strek in-to a studie * stifliche f er-fore,
what it bi-tokenef fat f e best bowed so him tille,
& wrou^t to him more worchipe fan to any wi}t elles.
In fat mene while fan in his minde it com, 4041
& f ou^t on a semli sone * fat sam time he hadde,
& how him treuli hadde -be told to-fore a long time,
fat his wif with wichecraft * to a wolf him schaped.
but sche of fat sclaunder excused hire al-gate, 4045
& seide f e child was in f e see sunkun ful ^ore.
f e king in fat earful f oujt * was cumbred ful long.
but william wi^tli as f e wolf was schaped, 4048
he dede kni^tes to comaumle to do crie in f e cite,
fat no burn nere so bold * as he nold be honged,
to waite f e werwolf no maner schaf e,
but late him late & erli where him liked wende ; 4052
fat hest was wel hold non so hardi was elles.
The king is in T7"arpe we [now] 3 how f e king was kast in gret bou^t ;
great thought and |\ , , , , , , ,, ,
, tu dy. * he dared as doted man lor f e bestes dedes,
& was so styf in a studie fat now him stint mi^t. 405 G
1 Read his othe bi al." M. 2 MS. " wiht."
3 Perhaps it should be, " Karpe we now how the king." M.
The king
remembers about
the son he once
had,
who had been
drowned,
according to his
second wife's
account.
William
proclaims that no
one is to hurt the
werwolf.
WILLIAM ASKS THE KING TO TELL HIS SECRET.
131
whan wilh'am was war he went to him sone,
seide, " king, i f e coniurQ in cr/stes holi name,
& bi alle f e kud customes to kinghod fat longes,
f attow telle me tit treuli fat sofe, 4060
$if f ou knowest bi what cas in any-skines 1 wise,
whi f is buxum best bowed to f e more
fan to alle f e wi^es fat were in f e halle ?
It mai be in no maner me f inkes, bi f ou^tes, 4064
f attow wost in su.m wise what it bi-tokenef .
f erfor tel me tit treuli whatow f outes,
of er i make a vow to f e mi^ti king of heuen,
fou passest 110113 1 of prison. ' puniched at f e hardest."
fan siked f e king sore & seide f ese wordes, 4069
" sire, for drede of duresse nor of deth in erf e,
nel i wonde in no wise what i f ou^t to seie.
sire, sum time here-bi-for in my ^ong age, 4072
I wedded with al wele * a worschipful lady,
fat burde was of beuaute bri^test in erf e,
& greter of alle godnesse fan any gome mai telle.
f e kinges doubter of nauerne was fat gode burde, 4076
& in fat seson gete we * samen to-gedere,
on f e fairest freke fat euer seg on loked,
but mi wif, as god wold & as we schul alle,
deied at f e deliuerauTzce * of mi dere sone. 4080
& i fostered fat child * faire to f re winter,
with alle clene keping as it ou^t to bene.
bi fat time was j?at barn * ful breme of his age,
& semliest on to se fat men schuld finde.; 4084
alphourcs his gode godfaderes dede him fan calle
at kyrke for his kinde name to kif e f e sof e.
fan bitid fat time i toke a-nof er wif,
a ful loueli lady lettered at f e best, 4088
corteys & couenabul & lettered at f e best, 2
& comero was of gret kin & koynt hire-selue.
Jjurth grace gat i on hire as god aln^ti. wold,
1 See note. 2 This half line is repeated from above.
9
William conjures
him to tell him
[Fol. 64 &.]
why the beast
bowed to him in
particular ?
" Tell me, or thou
shalt never come
out of prison."
The king sighs,
and tells his
story.
" J. once wedded
a fair and good
lady,
daughter of the
king of Navarre.
We had a very
fair son ; but my
wife died.
I fostered it till
it was three years
old.
His name was
Alphonse.
I married again
to a lady who was
lovely, and who
could read well.
132
THE STORY OF THE PRINCE ALPHONSE.
Oar son was the
prince who is
here now.
[Fol. 66.]
My wife feared
that the elder son
would succeed me
as heir,
and considered
how to get rid of
him.
She changed him
/ by enchantments
into a werwolf,
but she swore to
me that he had
been drowned.
I believed her,
but I now think
this werwolf is
my son.
This is truly what
I mused about."
a sone as 36 mow se be-for 3011 selue here, 4092
wich 36 han put in pn'son & puniched at 30111 wille.
f is child was ceput l clenli as it wel ou3t,
& it wax fetis & fair & ful mochel loued.
but fan my wif wickedli * on fise wise f ou3t, 4096
fat myn elder son min eritage schul haue,
& kepe f e kingdom after me * as kinde skil it wold ;
& striued stifli with hire-self -as stepmoderes wol alle,
bi what wise sche mi^t best fat bold barn spille, 4100
to do so j>at here sone after mi dessece,
Mi3te reioische fat reaume as ri$t eir bi kinde.
& as me haf be told of trewe meft of my reaume,
with charmes & enchantmews sche chaurcded 2 my sone
In-to a wilde werwolf; & wel now ich it leue, 4105
]>at ]>is buxura best be fat ilk selue
fat my wif with hire wiles euer dede me leue,
(whan i hire touched swiche tales * as me told were),
fat it was fanteme & fals * & for hate saide ; 4109
& swor grimli gret of es bi al fat god wrou3t,
j>at mi semli sone * was in f e see sonken,
as he passed out to pleie priueli him one. 4112
I leued hire fan lelly & lett it ouer-pase,
but now witerli i wot * |)is werwolf is my sone,
fa sechef after socour it semef bi hise dedus.
sire, sofli to seie fis was my grete fout, 4116
for f e werwolf werkes * so me wel time,
& 3if i wrong seie any word wo worf me euer."
William says it
seems to be the
truth,
for the werwolf
has a man's
mind.
TlTilliam 3 fan ful wittili fese wordes saide, 4119
" sire, it may ri3t wel be f us be marie in heuene !
fat f e best sechef socour it semef att best.
for wel i wot witerli & wel i haue it founde,
fat he has mannes muwde more fan we bof e.
1 Sic ; another spelling of " kepud."
2 Read " chaunged " (?) Of. 1. 4500.
3 The MS. has a large M instead of W.
4123
WILLIAM SAYS THE WERWOLF HAS A MAN*8 MIND.
133
for many [a day] l hade i be ded & to dust roted,
nadde it be goddes grace * & help of fat best ;
he haf me socoured & serued * in ful gret nede.
for-f i in feif , for al f e world * him nold i faile,
))at i schal loue him lelli as my lege brofer ; 4128
&, sire, blif e ou^t ^e [be] 2 * bi him fat vs wroujt !
J>at he f us happili is here fat haj) so lang be missed.
& 3if he mi^t in maner be maked man a^eine,
of al fe welfe of fe world wilned i no more. 4132
& sertenli, as it semef * to seie f e truf e,
3if f i wif of wicchecraft be witti as f ou seidest,
fat sche him wroi^t a werwolf ri^t wel i hope,
sche can with hire connyng * & hire queynt charmes,
Make him to man a-^en it may be non oj)er. 4137
& f erf ore, sire, bi cn'st fat on croyce vs bou^t,
f ou ne passest neuer of pn'son ne non of [f i] 3 puple,
with-oute deliueraurace * of fat derworfe best ; 4140
for made a-^en to man mot he nede bene.
sende wittili to f i wif & warne hire fore,
fat sche tit come f e to * for fat may falle after,
fat sche ne lette for no lud fat liuef in erfe. 4144
& 3if sche nickes wif nay * & nel nou^t com sone,
sende hire saddli to sai * fat sone with min ost,
I wol fat reaume ouer-ride & rediliche destrue,
& fecche hire with fin forse for 0113 1 fat bi-tides. 4148
for til sche with hire craft f e werwolf haue holpe,
alle f e men vpow molde * ne [mai] make 3011 deliuered." 4
" T)i cn'st," sede fe king "fat on croyce was peyned, "She shall be
** fat f e quen be of-sent sauf wol i fouche. 4152
3if sche mi3t in any maner make a-}en mi sone
to be a man as he was arst wel were me f anne.
but serteynli i not * wham i sende im*3t,
to make f e massager myn erande wel to spede,
" He has often
helped me.
You ought to be
blithe to find him
again.
[Fol. 65 6.]
If your wife is so
witty in
witchcraft,
she can make him
a man again.
Wherefore, you
shall never be
released till he is
made a man.
Send and tell her
to come here.
If she will not,
say I will fetch
her forcibly."
4156
But I have no one
to send but some
of my lords,
1 Read " many a day hade i be ded." M.
2 Read " ouzt ze be bi him." M.
3 Read " of thi puple." M. * mai
134
A MESSAGE IS SENT TO THE QUEEN OF SPAIN.
if you will give
them leave."
"I grant it; bid
them bring the
queen."
[Fol. 66.]
The king chooses
50 lords,
giving them a
letter and a
message, saying,
"Tell her my son
is found,
in the shape of a
werwolf.
Bid her bring
charms to
disenchant bin
but 36 wold suffer summe of f ise lordes,
fat ben lederes of my lond * & lele men holde.
3if 3ou likes, 3iue hem leue % & hete hem f ider wende,
I hope fei schul hastlier fan any ofer spede." 4160
" fat i wol," seide wilKam " ches wich f e likes,
& hote hem hi^e hastili harde as fei mowe,
& bring fe quen for cas fat mai falle."
ful spacli fe king of spayne to spede f o nedes, 4164
as fast ches him fifty of ful grete lordes,
fat tidi men were told & trewest of his reaume,
& tid bi-tok he?ft f e letteres * fat told al here erand,
& het hem munge bi moufe * more, & fei coufe, 4168
whan fei come to f e quen of f e cas bi-falle
" & seif hire f us sadli * sires, i 3ou praye,
for what cas sche mot com * or bi cn'st of heuene,
sche get neuer gladnesse of me, ne of mi sone. 4172
& seie hire sof li * f is selue encheson,
for hire mi sone is founde * fat sche for 3ore saide
was sonk in f e see so dede sche me to leue ;
but as a wilde werwolf he walkef here a-boute ; 4176
& how he sou3t after socour * 36 saw wel alle.
f er-fore treuli as it tid telle here to f e hende,
& bidde hire bliue with hire bring fat mai be is bote,
to make him man a3en mijti as he was ere, 4180
of er al fat lond worf lore * & our Hues alse,
f er gof non a3en-turn * 36 mow hire treuli seie."
fe menskful messangeres mekeli fan seide, 4183
" we wol worche 3our wille as wel as we kunne."
Next day the
messengers set
out
and went to
Spain.
"jlTanli on f e morwe f e messageres were 3are,
-*'* greif ed of alle gere gaily atte f e best,
of horse & harneys & what fei hade nede,
& went forf on here way wi3tli & fast ; 4188
Euer f e geynest gatis to goo to f e sof e,
Euer spacli fei hem spedde * til spayne fat fei come,
& come to a cite * fere soiourned f e querie.
THE QUEEN OP SPAIN ASKS AFTER HER LORD.
135
tid was hire told tiding of here come, 4192
<fe sche gamsura & glad gop hem a-^ens,
with loueliche ladies * pat longed to hire chauwbur,
<fc oper menskful maidenes * mo pan foure schore.
<fc mekli whan pei were met * J>e messageres pei greten
with cliping & kessing kindeli to-gadere. 4197
but sone pat comli quen wel curtesli asked,
41 how fares mi lord pe king for cmtes loue in heuen,
& mi semli sone seppe pei out went ? 4200
han pei wonne at here wille fat pei went fore 1
what dos mi lord wip pat lady & here loueli doi^ter 1
wol sche 3it my sone hire wedde & to wif haue ? "
" Madame," saide pe messange? 1 * most worpi of alle,
" oper-wise pan 36 wene is al pe werk turned, 4205
It helpes nou^t for to hele nou3 herkenes mi sawe.
sippe pe king of heuen * on croys for vs deide,
worse fel it neuer to wi3es pan it hap a while. 4208
for alle pe real rinkes of pis reaume be slayne,
& doluen depe vnder mold * man! day seppe.
pe stoute stiward of pis lond & his strong neuew,
& pe cuftstabul sone * pat kud kni^t was proued, 4212
& out of number nobul men * to nenipne pe sope.
Mi lord pe king was per cau3t in a kene stoure,
& 3our sone also * and are prisons bope,
<fc we alle, madame * & many mo of oper 4216
of pe lordes of pis lond pat ^ut a-liue bene,
& neuer-more for no man mo we be deliuered,
ne pult out [of] l prison but purli pourh 3our help.
& pei3h we hade pe quen purth queintyse & strengpe
brou3t ferst at swiche bale with so breme a-sawtes, 4221
wasted hire londes * & wonne hire townes,
& pult al pertly to our wille but palerne alone ;
sertes, pei were a-seged so pat atte laste 4224
Many times in pis maner mercy sche craued,
pat sche most wende a-wai with hire dorter one,
1 Read "out of prison." M.
She comes out to
meet them,
[Fol. 66 6.]
and asks after her
lord and her son.
Is he to wed the
princess ?
"Madame,
affairs are quite
changed.
Our best men are
slain and buried
the steward and
his nephew,
the constable's
son, and
numberless
noblemen.
The king, the
prince, and all
we lords, are
prisoners.
We conquered all
the queen's lands
except Palermo.
The queen asked
to have leave to
depart where she
pleased.
136
THE STORY OF THE KING OF SPAIN'S DEFEAT.
The king refused.
[Fol. 67.]
Then came a
mighty knight
to help her, who
conquered the
king and the
prince.
Next, a werwolf
came and saluted
the king, and
seemed to crave
help.
The knight asked
the king what it
meant,
who said, it must
be Alphonse his
We are sent to
gay that we shall
never be released
till you hare
disenchanted the
werwolf.
If you refuse,
that mighty
knight will come
boute daunger or duresse or any despit elles,
& late mi lord haue fat lond at liking for euer ; 4228
ac my lord in no wise wold f er-to grau^te,
& J,at ha]? vs hard harmed for hastili f er-after
f er kom a kni3t hire to help f e kuddest of f e worlde,
& most mi^thi in armes * fat euer man of herde. 423<2
he slow of oure segges sof li alle f e best,
& conquered with clene mijt f e king & his sone,
& lelly many of er lordes fat ^it a-liue are.
& whan f ei were in prison ' pult at hire wille, 4236
f er wan in a werwolf a wonderli huge ;
with a komli kuntenauwce to f e king he went,
& fel dourc to his fete & faire he hem kessede,
& wrou^t him gret worchip & wi3es fat it sei3en 4240
saiden, it semed wel * as it socour sou^t ;
but f anne as bliue J>at best busked on his weie.
& fan fat kud kni3t ' fat vs conquered alle
cowiured mi lord j>e king bi al fat crist wrou3t, 4244
j)at he tyt schold him telle * treuli al f e sof e,
3if he wist in any wise wat J>at best were ;
&, he sofli fus sayde schortly to telle,
fat it was alphioutts his sone anow ri3t he wist, 4248
fat fou with fi wicchecraft a werwolf him hadest
maked.
wherfore, menskful madame bi marie in heuen,
we be made massegeres to muwge 3ou fis nedes,
fat neifer fi lord nor fi sone * nor non of vs alle 4252
worf neuer deliuerred of daunger fat we dwellen
inne,
til fou com to fat kif & with 3 our queynt werkes
haue heled f e werwolf wel at alle ri3tes,
& maked to man a3e in maner as he ou3t. 4256
& 3if fou grutche a-ny grot f us greif li to worche,
alle f e men vpon molde * ne mowe it nou3t lette,
fat fat ilke kud kni3t fat kepuf vs alle,
nel com to fis kuntre with a clene strengfe, 4260
QUEEN BRAUNDEN IS GREATLY FRIGHTENED.
137
& balfulli do ]?e brenne * in bitter fire,
& ouer-ride )>is reaume & redili it destrye ;
&, whejjer J?ou wolt or non winne l ))e with strengjje,
& sejjen duelfulli to dethe do vs alle after ; 4264
& J?erfor do vs wite wi3tli hou^ J>ou wirche fenkest."
as bliue as Jjis bold quen pat brauwden was hote,
hade herd al holli how J>at hit ferde,
sche swelt for sorwe * & swoned rit fere, 4268
& afterward wept wonder was it none.
& to J>e menskful messageres mekli Jjenne sede,
" now, sires, se|?J?e it is so what so bi-tyde,
I wol wende 3011 with & wel 3011 deliuere, 4272
j>urth help of J?e heuene king hastili & sone."
Jjanne gart sche to greijje gaili alle jnnges,
jjat hem bi-houed on hond to haue bi J>e weye,
& a real roi^te to ride bi hire side, 4276
of lordes & ladies of al hire lond j)e best.
& sojjli for so]?e 2 no seg vnder heuene
ne sei^e neuer no route arai^ed more beter,
ne gaylier greijjed * to go to J>e sofe, 4280
of hors & of harneys & alle oj?er gere.
J>e quen hade hire with al Jjat bi-houed,
to warysche with J?e werwolf ' wel atte best.
aili were J?ei greijjed wel at te best, 4284
with here menskful meyne * sche meued on gate,
& hi3ed on here iurnes * fast as Jjei mi^t,
til J>ei come to palerne to proue J?e sojje.
willmm & hise wiaes were warned 3 of here come ; 4288 wuiiam meets
them,
with a real route * he rod hire a-3ens,
& worjnli hire he wolcomed * wen he hire mette,
& hire clene companye * curtesli & faire ;
& presteli to ]>e paleys * with gret pres hem ladde. 4292
J>e curtes quen of ]>at lond com hem a~3ens,
1 MS. " wenne." Read "winne." M. See 1. 3623.
2 MS. " se|>e." 3 MS. " warnes." Read " warned." -M.
and burn you,
and will put us
all to death."
[Fol. 67 6.]
At this news
queen Braunden
She consents to go
with them.
She gets every-
thing ready.
No one ever saw
better arrayed
company.
138
SHE FINDS HER HUSBAND AND SON IN PRISON.
as also do the
queen, the king,
and the prince.
The queen of
Spain is grieved
to see them
prisoners.
[FoL 68.]
William helps
Braunden to
alight.
All are glad to see
her.
She is led to hall,
and seated at the
dais.
She and the king
and prince sit
together,
and the queen of
Palermo, the
princess, and
Melior.
The hall is filled
with barons and
knights, and the
Spanish lords.
There were spices
and wines.
The werwolf had
been kept in
William's
chamber.
f e king of spayne with his sone & of er kni^tes gode,
fat were put in pn'son * presteli f urth here dedes.
bofe nwrrf e & mournyng at fat metyng was ; 4296
whan f e quen of spayne * saw hire lord in hold,
& hire semli sone & sef e alle f e of er
of grete lordes of hire lond it liked hire ille.
f e comly quen of fat lond wilh'amg- owne moder, 4300
with welf e & gret worchip welkomed hem alle,
& wilKam curtesli cau^t f e quen of hire palfray,
& his menskful moder ful mekli hire kessed,
& hire lord & hire sone swetly f er-after. 4304
hire lord f e king of hire kome was comforted michel,
& hire sone als & sef en alle of er
of f e lordes of fat lond fat fere leie in hold,
for fei hopeden in hast to haue help f er-after. 4308
william & his menskful moder mekli & faire
ful loueli f e quen of spayne - led hem bi-twene,
& hendeli in-to halle f anne hire fei broujt,
& derli on fe hei^e des fei a-doun seten. 4312
f e king of spayne & his wif seten to-gader,
& here sone hem bi-side samen to talke,
to make hem in f e mene while as murye as fei couf e.
f e quen of palerne & hire doubter fat damysele hende,
& fe menskful meliors were macched to-gadere, 4317
to haue same here solas & seie what hem liked.
sef en al fat huge halle was hastili fulfulled
al a-boute bi eche side with barounes & kni^tes, 4320
f e real rinkes of f e reaume 113 1 on fat o side.
sof li f e segges of spayne * were set on fat of er,
so fat perles paleis with peple was fulfulled.
f ann were spacli spices spended al a-boute, 4324
fulsumli at f e ful to eche freke f er-inne,
& f e wines f er-with wich hem best liked.
nd as fei mad he?n so mine ' to mirage f e sof e,
fe werwolf fat 36 witen of was in wilKams
chauraber, 4328
THE WERWOLF LEARNS THAT THE QUEEN IS COME.
139
& hade be fere in blis bi ni^tes and dales,
sef en f e messangeres meuede after f e quene,
fat was his sterne stepmoder * til fat stounde f anne.
but wel wist f e wolf whanne sche was come, 4332
& hastili in-to halle he hi^ed him fat time,
to do [hire] to f e def e deliuerli jif he mi^t,
so wrof l he was hire with wite 36 him neuer.
as bliue as f e best was broken in-to halle, 4336
a pase bi-fore al f e pnple he passef him euene,
& drow him toward f e des * but dqutusli after
he stared on his stepmoder * stifli a while,
whan he saw [hire] with his sire sitte in mwrf e. 4340
fill wrof fan fat werwolf * wax of fat si^t,
& bremly his bristeles he gan f o a-reise,
& grisiliche gapande with a grym noyse,
he queite toward f e quene to quelle hire as bliue.
& assone as f e quene * saw him so come, 4345
sche wax nei} of hire witt * witow forsof e,
& carfulli to f e king criande, sche saide,
" a ! leue lordes, mi lif lengf es $ut a while ! 4348
socoures me nouf e or ful sone i dei^e,
for f is ilk breme best * bale wol me wirche,
ac i wite him no wrong witef wel alle.
I haue serued f e def }if $ou dere f inkes, 4352
lengf ef now my lif for loue of heuene king,
& meke me in ^our mercy i may do nou^t elles."
f e king of spayne stifli stert vp sone,
& his sone al-so to saue f e quene. 4356
william ful wi^tli f e werwolf fan hent
anon in his armes aboute f e necke,
& sayde to him soberli * " mi swete dere best,
trust to me as treuli as to fin owne brof er, 4360
or as feif li as falles f e fader to f e sone,
& meke f e of f i malencoli * for marring of f i-selue.
I sent after hire for f i sake sof li, f ou trowe,
1 MS. " worjj." Read " wroth." M. See 11. 3221, 4341
Knowing the
queen was come,
[Fol. 68 6.]
he hoped to kill
her,
and advances to
the dais, staring
at her.
Raising hia
bristles and
roaring, he
rushes at her.
In great fear,
she cries out for
help,
confessing she
has deserved
death, but begging
for her life.
William catches
the werwolf by
the neck, and
says,
" Trust me, dear
beast,
I sent for her for
thy sake.
140
WILLIAM PACIFIES THE WERWOLF.
Unless she
disenchants you,
she shall be burnt,
[Fol. 69.]
and the Spaniards
shall be kept in
prison for ever ;
wherefore do her
no harm."
The werwolf is
glad, and kisses
William's feet.
Queen Braunden
is glad,
and kneels before
the werwolf,
saying,
" Sweet Alphonse,
the people shall
soon see thy
seemly face.
I have sinned
aijainst you,
but God wills not
that you should
be lost.
to help f e of f i hele hastili, ^if sche mi^t. 4364
& sche has brou^t now f i bote bi cn'st, as i hope,
& but sche haue, be ri$t siker be god fat vs wrou3t,
to cold coles sche schal be brent ^it or come eue ;
& f e aschis of hire body with f e wind weue, 4368
& f i sire & his sone * & alle is segges noble
schul be put in prison & peyned for euere,
dulfulli here lif daies til deth haue hem take.
for-f i lete me allone mi lef swete frende, 4372
anoie f e na more ne nede schalt f ou haue,
ne to hire do no duresse as f ou me derli louest."
s werwolf was ful glad * of wilk'ams speche,
fat bi-het him in hast to haue help after, 4376
& faire doun to his fete * fel hem to kisse,
& as he coude, be contenauwce ful kindeli graurated,
In alle wise to worche l as wilh'am wold seie,
& made no more debat in no maner wice. 4380
as sone as f e quen saw how it ferde,
fat f e werwolf wold worche hire no schaf e,
sche was gretli .glad & oft god f onkes,
& pertili bi-fore alle fe puple passed him tille, 4384
& bliue bi-fore f e best on bof e knes hire sette,
& mekli in f is maner mercy sche craued.
" swete alphouws," sche seide " mi semli lorde,
I haue brou^t here f i bote * to bring f e of sorwe ; 4388
sone schal f e puple se f i semli face,
In manhede & in minde as it out to bene.
I haue f e gretli a-gelt to god ich am a-knowe,
for redili fe to reue fi ri3t eritage ; 4392
fat fis man min owne sone imjt it haue hadde
feif li after f i fader ich forschop f e f anne
In f ise wise to a werwolf and wend f e to spille ;
but god wold nou^t fat fou were lorne. 4396
for-f i of mi mis-gelt mercy ich craue,
1 MS. " worthe."
QUEEN BRAUNDEN BEGS FOR HER LIFE.
141
lene me lif, }if f e likes alphouws, i f e praye,
& at f i bidding wol i be * buxura euer-more,
& lelli as my lord * al my lif f e seme, 4400
& neuer agult f e wil i Hue in game ne on ernest ;
& giue me now in f i grace and godli f e bi-seche,
for his loue fat mad man for-giue me f is gelt."
& fan wi^tli to willmm weping sche seide, 4404
" a ! kurtes kni^t * for m'stes loue of heuene,
bidde f is buxuw best be merciabul nouf e,
for he wol worche at f i wille i wot wel forsof e,
More fan for alle mew. * fat on mold liuen ; 4408
& ^ou, alle hende lordes helpef me to praye
to j)is kurtes kni^t to graunt my bone.
to J)is bestes mercy i bo we me at alle,
to worche with me is wille as him-self likes." 4412
Spare my life, and
I will never harm
you more."
[Fol. 69 &.]
She further begs
William to
intercede for her,
and begs the
other lords to
do the same.
4416
Of f e quenes profer * f e puple hadde reuf e,
for sche fel to-fore f e best flat to f e grouwde ;
f er was weping & wo wonderli riue.
but so kenli f e king & f e kni^tes alle
bi-sou^t willmm for f e quen sof li so ^erne,
fat he godli al his gref * for-gaf at f e last,
so fat sche hastili hi^ed to help fat best ;
& blef eli boute grutching fat graurated sche sone. 4420
fan stint sche no lenger * but bout stryf went
Into a choys chaumber * f e clerli was peinted,
fat non went hire with but f e werwolf al-one.
fan rau^t sche forf a ring a riche & a nobul, 4424
f e ston fat f eron was sti^t was of so stif vertu,
fat neuer man vpow mold * mi^t it him on haue,
ne schuld he with wicchecraft be wicched neuer-more,
ne per[i]sche 1 with no poysoun ne purliche enuene-
med ; 4428
ne wrongli schuld he wiue fat it in wold hadde.
fat riche ring ful redily with a red silk f rede
1 MS. "persche." Read "perische." M.
There was much
weeping and woe.
William forgives
her if she will
heal the beast.
She at once goes
with the werwolf
into a private
chamber,
draws forth a
magic ring, with a
stone in it that
was proof
against all
witchcraft.
She binds it with
a red silk thread
142
QUEEN BRAUNDEN DISENCHANTS THE WERWOLF.
round the wolfs
neck.
She takes a book
out of a casket,
and reads in it a
long time, till he
becomes a man
again.
[Fol. 70.]
William only was
fairer.
The werwolf is
very glad,
but is ashamed
of being naked.
She tells him he
need not be so,
for they are alone.
He must now go
to the bath.
Alphonse goes to
the bath, finding
it " tidily warm."
The qneen serves
him.
f e quen bond als bliue a-boute f e wolwes necke. }rfs
sef e feif li of a forcer a fair bok sche rau^t, 4-432
& radde f er-on redli rijt a long while,
so fat sche made him to man in Jjat mene while,
as fair as fetys * and als freli schapen,
as any man vpow mold mi^t on deuise. 4436
was non fairre in world but will/am allone,
for he of fairnesse was flour of frekes fat Hue.
whan f e werwolf wist fat he was man bi-come,
fair of alle fasou^ as him fel to bene, ' 4440
he was gretli glad no gum f urt him blame,
ful wel him liked f e lessun fat f e lady radde.
sof li fat he was so naked sore he was a-schamed,
whan f e quen fat of-sey sone sche seide him tille,
" a ! alphourcs, leue lord lat be alle f o f ou^tes, 4445
i se wel fou art a-schamed * & so were it no nede ;
ne buf here in f is bour but our selue tweyne.
& on f e, sire, se i no si^t * but as it schuld bene, 4448
ne f e failef no f ing fat fallef a man to haue.
fare now forf to f i baf fat faire is keuered.
for it is geinli greif ed in a god asise." /*'
& alphourcs anon fanne after hire sawe, 4452
buskes in to f e baf * boute more noyse,
& fond it treuli a-tired & tidili warme.
f e quen him comforted * & curtesli him serued
as mekkeli as sche mi^t in alle maner wise ; 4456
for no burn nas hem bi but hem-self tweyne.
n f e curtes quen * ful cunyngli saide,
she asks him J " swete sire, saie me now so ^ou cn'st help,
who shall give
him his clothes ? what gom wol 36 fat $ou giue ^our garnemews nouf e I
36 ne tok neuer as i trowe of kni^thod fie hordere. 4461
for-f i f ow telle me of whom * 36 take it f enk,
for wel 36 wite [what] whi} worf iest is here."
He says he will Madame," ban seide alphourcs " be marie in heuen,
take his attire and
the order of I wol take myn a-tir & fat trie.ordere 4465
THE WERWOLF ASKS FOR CLOTHES.
143
I
of f e worf iest wei3 * fat weldes now Hue."
" hoo is fat," seide f e quen " is it 3our fader ] "
" Nay, bi god," quath alphu?is " fat gart me be
fourmed, 4468
It is fat ilk kud kni3t fat 36 alle knowe,
fat deliuered f e of f e deth fis day of mi-selue.
a worf ier wie^h in fis world wonef no^ nouf e,
king ne kmjt as of kin ' ne of kud dedes. 4472
Mi tir of him wol ich take and fat trie order,
& loue him as mi lege lord al mi lif time."
f e quen after william went in-to halle,
& tok him sli^li bi f e sleue & saide in his ere, 4476
" sire, 3if f i wille were f e werwolf f e bi-sechef ,
fat tow tit com him to to tire him in his wedes ;
he ne wol fat non of er fat worchipe him 36116."
" is fat sof," saide william " mi swete lady hende 1
cleymef he after clofes 'for cristes loue in heuen? 4481
deceyue me nou3t with f i dedes but seie me f e sof e."
"$is, bi cn'st," quaf fe quen " clofes he askes ;
he is as hoi, heri3ed be god as he was eue?* $ite, 4484
& manliche in alle maneres as to man falles ;
hi^es him hastili him to & help he were greif ed ;
for i wot fat fis folk fayn wold him sene. 4487
but he wol fat no wijt to chaumber with f e come,
but meliors f i menskful make & f e quenes doujter,
Dame florence f e faire for whom was fis werre.
hem bof e he biddef bring & no wijt elles."
fan william ful wi^tli as man ful of ioye, 4492
clipte f e quen & kest & oft crist f onkes,
fat his felawe was hoi fat hade him holp oft.
as bliue was him brou3t al fat bi-houed
of alle comli clofing fat a kni^t schuld haue ; 4496
no man vporc mold mijt richer deuise.
fan william wi3tli with meliors & his suster,
& f e comli quene * spacli forf f ei went
in-to f e chois chaumber f er changed was f e best
knighthood from
the worthiest man
alive,
viz. William, who
shall be his liege
.ord.
[Fol. 70 &.]
The queen tells
William the
werwolf wishes
him to clothe him.
" Is it true," he
says, " that he
asks for clothes ? '
" Yes," says she,
"he is as whole
as ever.
He will have no
one but you and
Melior and the
princess
Florence."
William kisses
the queen for
making his fellow
whole.
William, Melior,
&c., go to the
chamber,
144
WILLIAM AND OTHERS GO TO SEE HIM.
and see a bath
and a bed, with
a man in it
whom they knew
not.
[Fol. 71.]
Yet they greet
him, and
Alphonse answers,
" Sir knight,
you give me a
poor welcome."
" True," said
William, " but I
conjure you to
say who you are."
" t am the
werwolf, who
have saved you
from many
perils."
William embraces
him with great
joy.
Florence greets
him, and he
instantly falls in
love with her.
out of pe werwolfs wise to a worpi kni^t. 4501
pan bi-held pei pe ba)) & a bed bi-side,
& in pat bed als bliue pat burn pei seien,
)>at non so semli to here si$t saw pei neuer ere ; 4504
but of pat companie, be cn'st ' per ne knew him none,
napeles wilKam wi^tli * worpili him grette,
& po menskful maidenes * mekli per-after,
& pan alphou^s a-non answered & saide, 4508
" cn'st krouned king sire kni^t, mot ^ou saue,
& pi faire felachipe pat folwep pe after,
sire kni^t, i am in pi kip & corner to pi owne,
& pow makes me now * but pis mene semblarct. 4512
to put pe of peril i haue ney pensched oft,
& many a scharp schour for pi sake poled,
to litel pow me knowest or kinhed me kijjes."
" sertes, sire, Jat is sojj " seide wilh'am fanne, 4516
" I ne wot in ))is world what fat 36 are ;
but i corciure 3ou, be cn'st * pat on croyce was peyned,
]>at 36 seie me swij>e so]) ho-so ^e bene."
" I am he, J?e werwolf " sede alphourcs jjanne, 4520
" fat haue suffred for jji sake many sori peynes,
& pult fe out of periles * \er ]?ou perisched l schuldest,
nade goddes grete mi^t be * & mi gode help."
" certes, sire, ]>at is so]) " sede wilh'am fanne, 4524
& lepes Ii3tli him to & lacchis him in armes ;
with clipping & kesseng J>ei kidden gret ioye.
alle pe men vpon mold * ne mi3t half telle
pe mir]) pat waa maked in pe mene while. 4528
& 3if willmm was glad wittow forsope,
Meliors was moche more 3if it so mi3t bene ;
& florence of pat fare panne gret ferli hadde.
& sone as sche him saw * loueli sche him grett, 4532
& he godli a-gayn gret pat gode mayde,
& for pe beaute pat sche bar as bliue his hert
turned to hire treuli to loue for euer-more.
1 Read " perische " (?)
PRINCE ALPHONSSE FALLS IN LOVE WITH FLORENCE. 145
whan bei in bat gladnesse a gret while hade sete,
alphourcs asked a-non a-tir for to haue, 4537 2 n f *J nBe
to fare out as fast * with his fader to speke, clothes, to go and
see his father.
& with lordesse of bat lond ]>at him long hade missed. [Foi. 71 ?>.]
& wilKam wi}tli with-oute any more, 4540
Greyed him as gaili as any gom Jmrt bene, Z!Taft.
of alle trie a-tir * bat to kni^t longed,
so bat noD mijt a-mend l a mite worb, i wene.
& whan bei were at wille as bei wold he greibed, 4544
eche on hent ober hi be hand * hendli & faire,
& hastili in-to be hei3e halle hidden in-fere. 2252?'*"
whan be perles puple perceyueden hem 2 come,
Many a lord ful loueli lep hem a^ens, 4548
as bo bat were geinli glad * on bat gom to loke.
Gret nmrrbe at bat metyng was mad, he 3011 sure.
be king of spayne forsobe knew his sone sone, The kin s of
Spain soon knew
& gret him ferst as a glad man & oft god bonkes, 4552 MS son.
bat he so faire hade founde * his formest sone.
seben be lordes of londe loueli him gretten,
& his hold hrober he-fore alle ober ;
saue be king him-self semliest he him gret, 4556
& most ioye for bat metyng made bat time. brother.
no tong mi^t telle treuli be sobe,
be ioye bat was wrou3t with lasse & with more.
be comli quen of palerne oft crist bonked, 4560 The queen of
Palermo thanks
bat hade hire sent of his sond so moche ioye to haue, Christ.
& hade setteled hire sorwe so sone, pat was huge.
sone be semli segges were sette in halle ; tSe'tSp proper
be real rinkes hi reson * at be hei3e dese, 4564
& alle ober afterward * on be side benches,
& sete so in solas sadli ful be halle,
eche dingneli at his degre to deme be sobe.
whan be noyse was slaked * of be semli hurnes, 4568
be king of spayne spak to alphouws his sone,
1 MS. "a-mand." Read "amend." M.
2 MS. " whan." Read " hem." M.
10
146 ALPHONSB ASKS WHAT CAUSED THE WAR.
& sede, "semli sone sore has me longed
to se f i freli face * fat i for-lore hadde.
[Foi. 72.] for fis comli quen f urth ^one kni^tes dedes, 4572
haf vs alle in hold to harm at hire wille.
saying it had but swete sone saide it haf ben oft,
been foretold that , _ _.
their deliverance fat our deliuerauftce was don on fe one ; 4575
would be wrought .i-itiijiii -IT
by him only. f iirth f e schuld we help haue or neuer-more elles.
f er-fore, heuen king heried mot 36 bene,
fat haf f e lend lif vs alle to deliuere."
Aiphonse inquires " swete sire," seide alphouws * " so 2011 crist help,
what caused the
war. wharf ore was al fis fare formest bi-gunne ? " 4580
"bi crist, sone," quaf fe king "to carpe fe sofe,
The king says, alle be werre & bis wo is our wronge dedes.
"I desired to have . J
this damsel for i desired fis damisele fat digne is & iiobul,
to haue hire to fi forofer fat here bi fe sittef ; 4584
Her mother would ac hire moder in no maner hire nold me grau?ite.
not grant it, and
i wasted their for-f i w^tk with werre * i wasted alle hire londes,
& bro^t hire at swiche bale fat sche mercy craued,
in fis maner fat sche most mekli & faire, 4588
do hire a-wei with hire doubter boute more harme ;
sche wilned nou^t elles * but fat nold i graunt.
But this bold k u t jjan com fis kene kni^t & f urth his clene strengf e,
prisoners." boldli in batayle he bar doun vs alle, 4592
& pult vs in prison * to payne at his grace ;
f us sped we vs out of spayne to spire after winnywg."
Aiphonse answers, A lphou?is fan a-non * answered & saide,
* " faire fader, bi mi feif folili 36 wrou3ten, 4596
" YOU did wrong, to wilne after wedlok fat wold nou3t a-sente.
and can only
blame yourself. fat mowe 36 wite bi 3our werkes * how wrofli l 30
spedde ;
to wicke was 3our coTiseil & 3our wille after ;
But i hope ail ^if 36 2 haue wonne fe worse * wite it ^oiir-selue. 4600
can be made to .
end well." but i hope to heuen king 311 36 wol here mi wordes,
1 Read " wrongli." M.
'MS. "he." Read"ze."-M.
ALPHONSE REVEALS WILLIAM S PARENTAGE.
147
al Jjis bale sclial be brou^t to bote at j>e last."
to Jje quen of palerne alphoums ])iis saide,
" a ! menskful madame * mekes alle ^our peple, 4604
Jjat non spend no speche til i speke haue."
Jjaii was silens mad to seie al Jje sojje.
" ladis & ojjer lordes lestenej) now my sawe !
Jjis 30 witejj wel alle with-oute any fabul, 4608
Jjat J?is lond hade be lore at Jje last ende,
3if Jjise werres hade lasted any while here.
but god 3011 sent swiche grace of his grete n^t,
Jjat Jjis kud kni3t with his clene strengjje 4612
hajj i-bet al 3oure bale & broi^t to 3our wille
alle }our fon Jjat with fors defoyled 3011 long. <^^r
3it wot non wiseli wennes he come,
ne what wei3 he is * but wite schal 36 sone. 4616
3if Jjat burn wel him bar i blame him but litel ;
for mater i-now haj? eche man to mene Jje sojje,
his moder Jjat is in meschef to meyntene & help ;
& schal come him bi kinde * 3if he crist loue." 4620
" what bi-tokenej? Jjis tale * tellejj, i be-seche,
whi seie 30 so 1 " * seide j>e quene Jjanne.
" sertes, madame," seid alphouras " sojjli me leue.
Jjis comli kni3t is Jji sone bi crist ]jat me wroi^t ; 4624
}jou bar him of jji bodi king ebrouws was his fader.
al Jjis lordchip of Jjis lond is lelli his owne.
<fe i am ]je werwolf wite 36 for sojje,
Jjat bi-fore his fader ful 3ore i 3011 bi-reft, 4628
<fe passed with him mi weie prestli fro 3ou alle.
pe king & hise kni^tes with kries ful huge,
Jjei sewed rijt to jje see to sle me 3if ]?ei mi3t.
but bliue boute bot Jje brode water i passed, 4632
boute hurt ojjer harm helped, be goddes grace,
Jjat so sauf sent me oner ' wijj Jji sone sounde. ,
& gode ladi, 3if Jje like loue me neuer Jje worse,
Jjat i Jje barn away bar to blame had i be ellefs], 4636
for i wist ful wel wat wo him was toward
10 *
Alphonse craves
silence while he
speaks further.
[Fol. 72 6.]
" Ladies and
lords, this land
had been lost if
the war had
lasted.
But this knight
hath remedied all
your grief,
I /*
and yet no oue
knows who he is.
He did quite right
to help HIS
MOTHER."
" What means
this ? " said the
queen.
"This knight,
madame, is THY
sow, and king
Ebrouns was his
father.
I am the werwolf
who took him
away from you
all.
Then the king
and his knights
pursued me as
far as to the sea
[Straits of
Messina],
which I crossed
over in safety.
148
WHY THE WERWOLF STOLE WILLIAM AWAY.
Had I not taken
him away, he
would soon have
been dead.
[Fol. 73.]
For Ebrouns'
brother bribed the
ladies who had
William in their
care,
to poison the
king and prince
both.
When I knew it,
I was grieved,
and for pity stole
him away.
I have ever helped
him at need, and
have brought him
hither,
and now yield
him to thee
again."
When the queen
heard this, her
joy was
unbounded.
Melior perhaps
was the gladdest
of all, that her
lover was king of
all that land.
ne had i so do, lie hade be ded many a day passed.
J?e king ebrouws brober * be-bou^t bis oft,
if 1 bis ilk bold km$t * had be broi^t out of line, 4640
he schold have entred as eyr bis eritage to hold,
after be kinges day bi dessent of blode.
& sone as a schrewe schuld be schrewedest he boi^t ;
he coynted him queyntli with bo tvo ladies, 4644
bat hade bat time bi sone to kepe in warde,
& meded hem so moche * wib alle maner Binges,
& bi-het hem wel more ban i 3011 telle kan,
Gret lordchip of londes & liking at wille, 4648
so bat bei him bi-hi^t bi a schort terme,
bat bei pn'ueli wold enpoysoun be king & his sone,
to haue do krouned him king to kepe bat reaume.
but whan i knew al here cast of here wic wille, 4652
I ne mi3t it suffer for sorwe & for reube,
bat here wicked wille in bise wise ended.
& ]>erfor i him tok now haue i told be soj>e,
& haue him holp herto wanne he hade nede, 4656
as moche as i nri^t in eny maner wise :
& hider i brou^t him, be }ou siker * ^our bales for to
amende,
haue him now bi be hand i 3 eld him here to J?e."
2 be comli quen bat carping hade herde,
& saw J?at was hire sone * sofli i-proued,
4660
fer nys man vpow mold mi^t telle J>e ioye
fat was mad hem bi-twene * in ]?e mene wh[i]le,
betwene ))e dame & J?e doubter * & hire dere sone, 4664
with clipping & kesseng & o]>er kinde dede.
& ^if any mi^t be most meliors was gladdest,
Jjat hire loueliche lemman was lord of J?at reaume.
bi kinde as kinges sone & god kni^t him-selue. 4668
MS. " of." Perhaps we should substitute if. M.
2 MS. "Mhan." The rubricator has here and elsewhere made
a mistake, and inserted a capital M for a W. M.
ALPHONSB TELLS THE WHOLE STORY.
149
swiche mwrrthe as was mad at fat metyng f anne,
& fat of al fat puple fat in f e paleys were,
tonge mi^t non telle J)e tenf e l del, for sof e.
& anon, after fat * alphouns panne hem tolde, 4672
alle f e happes fat lie hadde al holly to f e hende,
from fat time fat he tok * f e child fro his frendes.
how f e fader him folwed * fayn him to quelle ;
& how he bar for]) f e barn over f e brode water ; 4676
& sef en how he sou^t for]) bi selcouf wei^es,
bering euer fat barn be ni^tes and daie,
til he com bi a forest seuen mile fro rome ;
& how J)e cou-herde com him to & kept J)e child
after, 4680
& sef en how f empef'our sou^t out to hunte,
& fond him in f e forest & faire hade him home,
& tok him to kepe to his doubter dere ;
& how f e meke mayde & he * melled of lone, 4684
<fe hadde here liking in lone a long time ofte ;
& how J)e kinges sone of grece * kom hire to wedde,
& on fe morwe fat fe mariage schold haue be
maked,
how fei went a-wai in wite beres skinnes ; 4688
" f er-after, sire, i f e saued forsof e as fow knowest,
whanne alle J)e puple prestili pursewed after,
to haue do fe to defe & J)i dere make.
& at boneuewt i J>e brou3t fram ]?e breme quarrer,
whan al fe cunfae was uwbe-cast with clene mew of
armes, 4693
to haue J>e take ]>er tit & to dethe hampred ;
I tok here souerayne sone so saued i fe fere."
sefen he told hou he dede here hides fan chauwge,
& dede hem haue hertes skinnes to hiden in hem
bofe. 4697
" sef en at a wide water i wan 3ou over bofe,
a token e $it of fat time * telle i mai f i burde.
1 MS. "tonfre." See 1. 4715.
[Pol. 73 6.]
Alphonse recounts
all the details-
how he bore
William over the
water ;
how he carried
him by strange
ways to the
forest near Rome;
how the cowherd
found him, and
then the emperor;
how he and the
emperor's
daughter loved
each other ;
how the lovers
fled, clad in two
white bears'
skins ;
how they escaped
at Benevento ;
how they
exchanged their
hides for harts'
skins;
150 WILLIAM SWEARS FRIENDSHIP TO ALPHONSE.
and how the a boye hire $af a buffet with a breme ore, 4700
Meiior with an so fat hire lif lelH nei$ hade sche lore."
alle here happes holli alphouws tellef fere,
& what he hade suffred '.-to sauen here Hues.
wmiam was very TTThan William, hade herd holli his wordes, 4704
glad at finding he IV
was king Ebrouns' ' he was gretli glad no gom furt mm wite,
n '[Foi. 74.] fat al f e puple in )>e place a-pertli knewen
fat he was kindeli * king ebrouras sone.
He embraces and fan lai^t he alphouws anon loueli in armes, 4708
saying, P & clipped him & kessed & kindeli sayde,
" a ! faire frend alphoims * ioye f e bi-tide,
"May God requite & god for his grete mi^t ' fi godnesse fe ^elde,
& fi tenful trauayles * fow hast for me suffred, 4712
& for my loueli lemman lord it f e quite !
For i know not f or j ne wo t i n fa s W0 rld * what wise i mht
how to requite
thee the tenth quite f e [f e] tenf edel in al mi lif time.
but fer nis god vnder god fat i may gete euer, 471/6
AH i can do shau fat it [ne] schal redeli be fin at fin owne wille ; l
be done soon, to .
make all thine. ne no dede fat i may do fat ne schal be do sone,
& loue lelli what f ou louest al mi lif dawes,
haTesshTbe 3 & liate Iiei 3 eli in hert ' J> at > ou hate f enkest, 4720
mme - so fat my hert holli schal hold him at f i wille.
& f erto hei^eliche am i hold for holli i knowe
AH that thou hast j, a t a lle f e sawes be sof fat bou saidest ere :
said is wholly r
true." sadde sorwes for mi sake suffred astow manye." 4724
" sertes, sire, fat is sof " seide alphouws f anne,
" Me > inke ) ) 3 e m[ ^ be hold ' to ( l uite me mi mede '>
& so i desire fat f ou [do] 2 3if ^ou dere f inkes.
"$a ! wold god," seide william * " fat i wist nouf e 4728
" in what way ? " I n what maner bat i mitt mest with be piece,
answered
William. or fat i wait worldes god * fat fou woldest ^erne."
" jis, sire," seide alphouws " so me crist help,
1 Here follow two lines (out of place) which occur again below.
See 11. 4722, 4723," and the note.
2 Or insert " wole," as Sir F. Madden suggests.
ALPHONSE ASKS FLORENCE IN MARRIAGE.
151
f er nis god vnder god fat i gretli willne, 4732
as o f ing fat f ou woldest * wilfulli me graurct."
" ^is, i-wisse," seide wilKam " wilne what f e likes,
f ei} f ou in hast woldest haue ' holli al mi reaume ;
I wold nowt wilne a mite worf but meliors allone."
alphouna a-non answered fanne & seide, 4737
" I kepe nou}t of f i kingdom be crist fat me bou^t,
ne of f i loueli lemnian lelly but in gode.
I ne wilne no-f ing but f i suster to be samen wedded,
to weld here as my wif al my lif tyme." 4741
" ^a, worf i god," seide willmm " wel were me fanne,
}if i wist fat f ow woldest * here to wiue haue.
it were a wonderful werk $if f ou woldest euere 4744
Meke f e in eny maner to be maried so lowe."
"^is beter, sire," seide alphouras * "i preie f e of nou^t
elles,
for al f e sorwe fat i haue suffred for f i sake eu^r.
but graimte me boute grucching * to haue fat gaie
maide." 4748
" bi god, sire," seide wilKam * " fat gart me be fourmed,
f ou schalt [haue] l hire at f in hest & with hire al my
reaume,
of er half witterli with-out any lette."
<; nay, crist forbede," seide alphourcs 2 "for his holi
blode, 4752
fat i were so wicked * to wilne ou^t of f i gode ;
I ne bidde nou$t a bene worf but fat burde one."
fan wilKam as a glad man godli him f onked,
& seide, " sertes, nowe [we] 3 schul be * sarnera hole
frendes, 4756
lelli bref eren in lawe our lord be it f onked ;
for al f e welf e of f e world at wille nou^ vs fallef ."
fan al f e puple in f e paleys prestli, fo[r] ioye,
Maden al f e m?/rfe fat men mi^t deuise. 4760
" There is no
benefit I so long
for as one thing."
" I will grant you
half my kingdom
anything but
Melior."
[Fol. 74 6.]
" All I ask for is
thy sister to
wife."
" That were well
indeed, if thou
canst marry so
low."
" Yes indeed j I
ask for no reward
but that."
" Thou shalt have
her, with half of,
or all my
kingdom."
"Nay, I ask but
that lady only."
"Now," said
William, "we
shall be brothers-
in-law."
Then all the
people rejoiced
greatly,
1 Read
'schalt haue hire." M. ' MS. "alphuows."
3 Read " nowe we schul."
152
GLORIANDE AND ACELONE ARE PENITENT.
& be comli quen ful oft crist bonked,
bat hade so wi^tli of hire wo so wel hire comforted,
tid were be tidinges told wide where a-boute
and the tidings of O f bat ferli bat was fallen bere fast ban ber-after, 4764
it were soon
spread every- Qret puple drow to palern to proue be sobe,
to loke on be lordes in liking at wille.
As soon as it was
known that the
two ladies would
have betrayed
William,
[Fol. 75.]
they were afraid
they would be
burnt, drawn, or
hanged.
So Gloriande and
Acelone put on
sackcloth,
and put them-
selves in
William's grace.
" We beg for our
lives,
and hope to be
allowed to do
penance,
"YTow forto muttge forber as be mater falles.
^ whan bise [tidinges] l were told to lasse & to
more, 4768
bat bo tvo trattes bat willmm * wold haue transited,
bo ladyes bat had him to loke & leren in ^oube,
bei wisten witterly barcne * with-oute any lette,
bat bei schuld be do to debe deulfulli in hast, 4772
brent in bri^t fur to-drawe, or an-honged,
as bilk bat [were] 2 worbi for bere wicked dedes
Gloriaiws & achillones * bo tvo ladies hi^ten
bliue bei hem bi-bout what bote mi^t hem help, 4776
sebe here treson was kud & knowe al a-boute.
hastili bei hent hem on * hei^resse ful rowe
next here bare bodi & bare fot bei went,
& faire bi-fore wilKam bei felle on knes bobe, 4780
& goue hem in his grace for bat grete gilt,
& knoulecheden al be cas * how bei cast hadde,
to haue sotiliche sleyn him-self & his fader,
bi hest of be kinges brober * bat bale to haue wrou^t.
" lete vs, sire, haue be lif * wil our lord wold. 4785
we meke vs in ^oure merci * at alle maner poyntes,
to sle vs or to saue wheber $ou god likes,
bat we ar worbi to be deth wel we be a-knowe, 4788
but wold 30 graurct vs 3our grace * for goddes loue of
heuerc,
to put vs to sum place penau?ice to wirche,
& late vs haue be lif whil our lord wold,
1 This word is surely wanted ; cf. 1. 4763.
Read " that was worthi," or " were worthi." M.
WILLIAM S MESSAGE TO THE EMPEROR OP ROME.
153
fat we mi^t a-mende sum of our mis-gilt, 4792
& for 3our fad[er]e l & for 3011 fei^Jjli to preie.
3if 30 worche so worchipe mijt 36 gete,
&, dere lord, of f e deth may no god dede falle,
"hot a litel wicked wille f er-with wold be slaked."
al fe barnage as bliue baden for hem 3 erne, 4797
fat f ei most in alle maner * fat trespas amende.
& william. fan wi^tli here wille haf graurcted,
so fat f ei wrou3t in fat wise & wold be gode after.
sone were fe ladies to an hermitage brou3t, 4801
& liueden fere in god lif wil our lord wold,
In penauwce & in prayeres priueli & loude,
til f ei went of ])is world * whan god wold hew fecche.
now lete i here of f e ladies & lestenef a-nof er, 4805
what bi-tidde of f is tale as f is store tellef .
and to pray for
you and your
father."
William grants
them their lives,
and they live in
a hermitage
till the time of
their death.
[Fol. 75 &.]
Wilk'arn fan with-oute more wi3tli f er-after,
made him menskful messageres to mene fe
sofe, 4808
f e grettest lordes of fat land fat lellest were hold,
& konyngest of kurtesie & kowden fairest speke.
to femperour of rome redeli he hem sent,
& with loueli letteres lelli him bi-sou3t. 4812
3if fat is wille were with-oute any lette,
to be fere with his best burnes bi a certayne time,
to mensk f e mariage * of meliors his dorter,
and 3if alisauwdrine were fanne aliue, 4816
fat sche most with him come * curtesli he prayde.
fan were f e messangeres * in alle maner wise
so trieliche a-tired to telle f e sof e,
of hors & of harneys * & [what] 2 hem most neded,
fat no wie^h of fis world f urt wilne beter ; 4821
& went forf on here way wi3tly and fast,
til f ei redli hade rau3t to grete rome euene.
whan f e bold barounes be-fore f emperour come, 4824
Read "fadere." M. 2 See line 4187.
William sends
messengers to the
emperor of
Rome,
beseeching him to
come to Palermo
to his daughter's
marriage,
and asking that
Alexandrine
might come too.
The messengers
go to Rome ;
154 THE EMPEROR'S JOY AT THE MESSAGE.
and greet the f u l godlt pei him gret * glaclli, as pei ou^t,
emperor from .
Aiphonse king of ferst in alphoims halt pat king was of spayne,
for pemperour & he hadde be felawes 3016,
and wimam king sepen in worpi willmms pat king was of poyle, 4828
& souerayn of cisile as schold a king bene.
and in Meiior's S epen in meliors name * pat was hise mery donate?-.
name,
& in pe kinges half of poyle * praiede him fayre,
to come to to be at palerne with his puple presteli & sone, 4832
Palermo to his .
daughter's Di a certeyn day pat set was sone after,
to menske pe mariage * of meliors his doubter,
for to wiue he wold here take pat welt pat reaume.
whawne pe messagers hade miroged of meliors pe
schene, 4836
The emperor asks Gretteliche was he gladed & gan for to seie,
daughter is. " lordinges, for 3our leute * lelli me telles,
3if 30 wite in any wise * were be fat burde 1 "
[Foi. 76.] ti Marie, sire." sede be messageres " ae mowe vs wel
"In Palermo,
sire. Here is her trOWC, 4840
pe niilde mayde meliors in palerne now dwelles ;
Loo here hire owne letteres to leue it }>e beter."
The king bids a J> e king komauwded a clerk * keneli & swipe
letter, to loke on po letteres and lelli hem rede, 4844
pat he mi^t wi^tli wite what pat pei mened.
and the clerk pe clerk panne deliuerli * vndede po letteres,
undid it and read />-i -, -, > -i
as the messengers & lond as pe messageres hade mtwged be-lore,
how pe king of poyle prestli hade ordeyned, 4848
at swich a certayn day his semliche doi^ter wedde.
Then the emperor ~l*awne wist bemperour wel bat bei were treuwe,
knew it was all \)
true, * & made pe messagers pe m^?*rpe pat he coupe,
realiere nere neuer rinkes resseiued in place. 4852
forfs'to 1 w*i"h" 8 -^- an ^ ma( ^ e pemperour his messageres ont-wende,
him to the a lle be lordes of bat lond lelli to somouwne
wedding.
to be redili a-raied in here richest wise,
to wend with him wijtli * to pe wedding nobul. 4856
& wan pei harden his hest pei hie^eden fast,
THE EMPEROR OF ROME GOES TO PALERMO. 155
& certes on be selue day bat hem was a-signed, so they ail
. assembled on the
so nche a route in rome was rialicne a-sembled, appointed day ;
bat neuer seg vnder su?me ne saw swiche a-nober,
so tri3liche a-tired of al bat to hem longed ; 4861
& went whtli here [way! l wen bei were sare, and went their
way, and
& alisaundrine with hem as i arst miwged. Alexandrine with
them.
& wending as bei were * in here way bat time, 4864
of be menskful messageres bempe?*our bawne asked, On the wa y. the
emperor hears
bi what cas his doubter was fare to bat londe, the whole story ;
& how kendeli sche was knowe * bat king wold hire
wedde.
& bei titli him told * al be trewe sobe, 4868
of alle fortune bat was falle fram comsing to bende,
In alle maner as i mugged in mater here bi-fore.
& wharcne bemperour hade herd how [bat] hit ferde, ^J^JHT
he was gretteli gladed and oft crist bonked 4872 again to the
of be fortune bi-falle of so faire an hende,
& mugged bawne al be mater to his meyne sone,
as bo menskful messagers hade mu??ged be-fore. 4875
be nmrbe bat banne was maked mijt no tonge telle, ^treyd So
bat tit was mad for bo tiding whan bei told were. Palermo.
& so ban held J)ei here way harde & faste,
til bei to palerne prestili * with al bat pres come.
William* barme ful wijtli with a faire puple 4880 ^ n a ^J m
of crouned kinges & kniates many hundred, company goes to
meet the emperor,
went a^en bemperour with wel glade chere.
a gay greting was be?* gret wan bei to-gedir met.
william & bemperour went alder-form est, 4884
& alphouws next after & auenauwtli him grette, &**/
with alle be nmrbe vpow mold bat men mi^t deuise.
be king of spayne spacli * spedde him next after, The king of Spain
for bemperour & he bi-fore felawes hadde bene, 4888 emperor giadiy.
1 Bead "here way wen they were zare." M. See 11. 4864,
4878.
2 The capital W is mis-written M. See 1. 4923.
156
THE MEETING OP THE EMPEROR AND HIS DAUGHTER.
On nearing the
palace,
the queen and
Melior and
Florence
and the queen of
Spain come to
welcome him.
Great was the
emperor's joy at
seeing his
daughter.
No need to tell of
their merry fare.
[Fol. 77.]
The joyous
meeting of
Alexandrine atid
Melior.
Melior tells her
friend all her
story.
William and
Melior tell the
emperor all their
adventures.
& kindli kessed eiper oper whan pei kome to-gadere.
pe mwrpe pat was mad at pat metyng panne,
ne may no tong telle treuli pe sope.
sepen went pei alle samen swetli to-gadere 4892
to pe perles paleys and prestili pat time,
with a clene cumpanye pe quen com hem a-^ens,
pat lady was of pat lond * & ledde in here hondes
pe menskful mayde meliors & here oune doubter ;
& hem sewep a selcoupe route of semli ladies ; 4897
pe quen of spayne spacli pan spedde fast after.
a mery meting was per mett whan pei nei^ed same,
with clipping & kessing and ccwtenaurcce hende. 4900
but sopli whan pemperour sey * his semli donate?*,
a glader gome vnder god * mi^t non gon on erpe.
pe melodie pat pei made * no man mi^t telle,
ne neuer nere gestes vnder god gladliere receyued.
iioping wanted pei at wille pat pei wold haue, 4905
pat pei nere semli serued & sette at here ri^ttes.
Muwge now nel i namore of here merie fare,
for beter to be pan it was mijt no burn penke. 4908
as sone as alisauwdrine hade si$t of hire ladi,
no tunge rni^t telle treuli half pe ioye
pat pei made at pat metyng whan pei mette same.
& meliors ful mekli brou^t hire to hire chauwber,
& told here whan sche sei time * treuli al pe sope, 4913
al pe sorwe pat sche hade suffred sepe sche hire seie ;
now of pis mater no more nel ich munge ;
& alle mwrpe was hem mad among atte fulle. 4916
wilKam & his worpi make whan pei sei time,
told pemperour treuli pat hem tidde hadde, 1
of meschef & of murthe * & ho hem most helped,
& how pei broujt were of bale to here bote pere. 4920
& alle perme of pat auentwrre hadde gret ioye,
& ponked god of his grace * pat so godli hem spedde.
1 After " hadde " occurs a line made up from this line and the
next, and not finished, viz. " of mechef & of murfre J?at hem
tidde h."
THE ARRIVAL OF PARTENEDON.
157
TTThanne l time was, to f e mete fei turned sone,
' & serued [were] 2 selcouf li ri^t as hem wolde, 4924
of alle dere deintes of metes and of drynkes ;
and as fei muriest at f e mete * fat time seten,
f er come menskful messageres fat men were nobul,
fro f emperour of grece gret wel f e quene, 4928
fat ladi was of fat lond & he hire dere fader,
& from hire brof er partendo fat was hire pert brof er.
& whan f ise messageres * hade here greting made,
fan fe soueraynest seg * saide of hem alle, 4932
" Madame, makes 3011 merie for marie loue in heuen,
for $our fei^ful fader naf 3011 nou^t for-^ete.
ac he haf sent 3011 to socoure * so grissiliche an host,
fat f er nis man vporc mold fat may 3011 with-stond,
fat fei nelle bring in bale at ^our bidding sone. 4937
fei kome sailing in fe see here souerayn is
brof er ;
partenedon f e perles * al fat puple ledes,
& se him schal ^our-self hastli, boute faile,
er f is fridde day be don * doute 3011 non ofer.
& whan fat comli quen f o tidinges herde,
a gladdere womman in world 3 * was f er non a-liue,
to f e menskful messagere made 4 gret ioye, 4944
& worf ili hem welcomed 36 mow wite fe sof e.
f e comli quen & f e king curcseiled fan to-gedere,
fat f e bridhale schuld a-bide til hire brof er come,
to mensk more fat mariage ^if fei mijt f anne. 4948
fan on f e fridde day ariued hire brof er fere,
with a clene cumpanye to carp f e sof e.
f e grettest lordes of fat lond fat lined fat time ;
but his ost fat tide he left in f e see stille. 4952
whan f e quen wist of his come * curtesli & sone,
1 The large capital letter is mis-written M, as at 1. 4880.
2 See 1. 5064. 3 MS. " wolrd."
4 The sense would be clearer if the pronoun " sche " were
supplied, but it is often omitted in similar cases throughout thia
poem M.
4940
All go to meat,
and are served
with all dear
dainties.
Some messengers
enter, from the
emperor of
Greece and the
queen's brother
Partenedon.
The chlof of them
says, "Madame,
your father hath
sent an army to
help you.
Partenedon your
brother is. their
leader."
[Fol. 77 &.]
Then the queen
was very glad,
and welcomed the
messengers.
It was agreed to
put off the bridal
till her brother
On the third day
he arrived, with t
groat company.
158
THE QUEEN TELLS PARTENEDON THE STORY.
The queen goes
forth with the
rest to greet him.
she receives him
it was a solemn
"clip" and kiss,
None can tell the
mirth that was
made.
The queen teiis
her brother how
William was her
[Foi. 78.]
and how the
werwolf was
restored to man's
shape ;
and of the
He was very
vexed at this, for
he had wooed
ime>
He would have
liked to win
Meiior by force,
But as he saw it
could not be, he
Gladli with grete lordes sche gob him a^ens,
* . '
pe kud emperour of rome & pe king of spayne,
& his comli quen * & alle pe kni^tes gode. 4956
pe worpi wilb'am was pe first * pat welcomed him faire,
& alphoiws after him & after pe kinges.
pe quen of palern presteli }?ari presecl to hire broper,
& receyued him as reali as any rink purt bene ; 4960
pe king of spayne & pe quen * curtesli him gret,
& pemperour of rome with ri}t gret ioye.
per was a solempne sijt whan pei sameft mette,
with clipping & kissing to keppe hem to-gadere. 4964
pe lady fill loueli * pan lad forp hire broper
presteli to palerne to pe paleys riche.
More nmrpe vpCM mold ' mht no man deuise,
pan was mad to po men to murage pe sope ;
]S"e wanted hem no-ping pat pei wold haue,
plenteuosli in eche place pe puple was serued.
& as pei sete jn solas sone pe quen told
buxumli to hire broper what bi-tidde pere ; 4972
how wilKam was hire son * & with his dou^ti dedes
hade conquered pe king of spayne & ended pat werre ;
& in what wise be werwolf * was broujt to his state :
& holli alle pe happes as ^e han herd be-fore; 4976
-, . . , . . , n .
how pei went away bope in white beres skinnes.
pan told sche how alphoufts schuld his nece wedde,
& willmm worpi ineliors with welpe on pe morwe. 1
pan femperoures sone of grece was a-greued sore, 4980
, . , , , , ,
whawne he wist on pe morwe pe manage schuld bene,
for he wend hire haue wedded whilom in rome.
& pehh he wist william his nobul newe panne,
hade he had his ost he wold [haue] a-saide pere 4984
to haue with stoteye & strengpe stoutli hire wonne.
but sei he sobli so mwt it nou^t bene,
ac .suner he most pouh it mm sore rewed,
1 These two lines, 4978 and 4979, follow line 4987 in the MS. ;
but are evidently out of place there, and must be inserted here.
ALEXANDRINE IS TO BE MARRIED TO BRAUNDNIS.
159
& semblawt made lie sobur so as it him paide, 4988
but i hote fe in hert it liked him wel ille.
f ann will/am and his moder & meliors als,
& alphou?2S anon ri^t of alisaundrine toched,
to marie here menskfulli * a-morag hem ri3t Jjanne. 4992
<fe so f ei touched hem be-twene * to tele f e sof e,
fat brauftdnis alphourcs broker schuld be hire make,
f e kinges sone of spayne fat comsed alle f e werre.
& he at his fader hest * hit jjanne graunted, 4996
& at f e bidding of his broker & wilh'ams hest.
fan driue f ei forf fe day in dedut & in nmrf e,
& haden holli at wille what hem haue nedede,
& sef f e to bedde uche burn * busked him fat time.
but on j>e morvve manli to mene fe sofe, 5001
Men mi^t haue seie of segges many on greyed, 1
In f e worf iest wise * fat seien were euere,
sef f e he fat vs bou^t in bemleem was bore. 5004
alle f e clerkes vnder god couf e nou^t descriue
a-redili to f e ri^tes f e realte of fat day,
fat was in fat cite for fat solempne fest,
& of alle men fat manerli mi^t ou^t gete 5008
of any god gaili to greif e hem midde.
to muwge of menstracie it mi^t nou^t be aymed,
so many maner miwstracie at fat mariage were,
fat whan J>ei made here menstracie * eche man wende,
fat heuen hastili & erfe schuld hurtel to-gader, 5013
so desgeli it denede * fat al f erf e quakede.
f e stretis were alle strewed & stoutli be-hoiiged,
with gode clofes of gold of alle gay hewes ; 5016
& burgeys with here burdes in here best wise,
weyteden out at windowes eche weie a-boute,
to prie on f e puple * fat priked in f e stretes,
& to loke on here lord fat lelli fan schold 5020
be krowned king on fat day to kepe al fat reaurne.
"greyed" (?)
appeared to be
pleased, though
grieved at heart.
William and the
rest wished to
find a husband for
Alexandrine,
and thought that
Braundnis, prince
of Spain, would
suit her.
Braundnis agrees
to this.
They pass the day
merrily till
bedtime.
Next day, all
were seen in their
finest attire.
Not all the clerks
could describe the
royalty of that
day,
[Pol. 78 6.J
nor tell of the
minstrelsy at the
marriage.
The minstrelsy
dinned so that
the earth quaked.
The streets
were strewn with
cloth of gold.
1GO THE TRIPLE WEDDING IN PALERMO.
But when the T)ut trewbe now for to telle whan time come of dave.
time came for the f| . . J
brides to go to -*-* bat be blisful brides * schold buske to cherche,
church, their
attire was past of here a-tir for to telle to badde is my witte, 5024
description. . .. ......
for alle f e men vpon mold ne mi^t it descrme
a-redili to ])e ri^tes * so riche it were alle.
There were kings bof e kinges & quenes & of er kud lordes,
and queens and
lords, with perteli in alle a-paraile * pursewend furth-oute, 5028
"harness." of hors & harneys & fat hem haue neded,
so fat noil mi^t be amended a mite worf , for sof e ;
as eche gom in his degre godliche ou^t.
for-fi no more of bat mater nel ich mirage nof e, 5032
but touche for]? of be tale as tellef f e gest.
wlian f 6 ^urnes were boui1 ' to buske to chirche,
Florence, bemperour of rome willmms suster ladde,
VWilliam's sister. r r
filke fat alphouws schold to wiue weld. 5036
The king of Spain & k e k u( j king of spayne curtesli & faire,
led Melior.
ladde meliors menskfulli * a-mong alle f e puple.
AkxanSine led f 6 q uenes *>rof er of palerne partenedon f e bold
alisauftdrine at fat time auenauratli ladde. 5040
al with blisse on here blonkes f ei busked to chirche,
with alle fe mwrfe vpon mold * fat man mijt of fenk. 1
LPoi. 79.] f e clergie com hem 2 a-^ens ri^t gailiche a-tyred,
them in ful pertliche on procession prestli as f ei ou^t, 5044
gave William the & komen to here king & dede him fe croyce kesse.
fan with worchip & wele went to f e cherche,
The patriarchs be patriarkes & ober prelates * prestli were reuested.
and prelates were '
soon apparelled, to make f e mariage ,menskfulli as it ou^t. 5048
& after f e lawe of f e lond lelliche to telle,
and the couples jj e j were f er wedded worchipfulli and fayre.
& lelli, for alisauTidrines lord ne hade non londes,
Towns, countries, i, er were t^ ^jf hQ m to treuH fele townes, 5052
and castles are
given to comli castelles and couf and cuntres wide,
Alexandrine's . .
husband. to hue wif worchip & wele in world al here liue.
NO clerk could no clerk vnder crist ne kowbe nouat descriue
describe the
mirth. fe murthe for fat mariage fat was maked fanne, 5056
1 Catchword" J?e clergie." 2 MS. " him." Bead " hem." M.
,
PARTENEDON RETURNS TO GREECE. 1G1
f e richesse ne f e riaulte to rekene f e so))e,
ne f e solempne seruise * fat seyn was fat time.
but whan be seruise was seid * as it schold bene, The service
ended,
fat fel to a mariage be-maked at cherche, 5060
fat puple prestli a$en to f e paleys wente
wif al f e mwrf e of menstracye fat man mi^t on f enk.
& treuli whan time was f ei twrned to mete, they returned to
the palace, and
& serued were as selcouf li as hem-self wolde 5064 went to meat.
desiren of eny deyntes of metes & drinkes.
It were toor forto telle treuli al fe so be, it were hard to
tell all about the
& to reherce f e aray ari^t of fat riche feste, rich feast.
for-fi i leue fis li^tli * ac leuef fis for treufe, 5068
f er mi^t no mon it amende a mite worf , i leue.
whan bordes were born a-doun & burnes hade When they had
, washed after
wascnen, mea t, the
Men mi3t haue seie to mewstrales moche god $if,
sterne stedes & stef & ful stoute robes, 5072
Gret garisun of gold & greifli gode iuweles.
f e fest of fat mariage a monef fulle lasted, The feast lasted a
& eche day was gret god giue al a-boute,
to more & to lasse * fat at f e mariage were. 5076
fan lau^t f e lordes here leue * at f e monf es ende ; [Foi. 79 &.]
partenedon parted first of palerne f e quenes brof er ; Partenedon was
for he hade ferrest to fare formes fc he went. home;
& wilham wif his wi3es * we/it him wif on gate, 5080
& semli wif alle solas * to f e see him broi^t,
& his menskful moder meliors, & his suster.
prestili f e quen of palerne fan preied hire brof er, and the queen
to grete hire feifful fader fele times & ofte, 5084 her father.
" & f onk him kindli of f e help fat he to me sent,
& telle him treuli as it bi-tidde here."
fan lau^t f ei eche leue at of er lelli to telle ;
partenedon passed to schepe & his puple after, 5088 Then Partenedon
& went wi^tli to saile f e wind was at f e best, Greece.
& saileden wif game & gle to grece til f ei come,
fan told he tyt to his fader treuli f e sof e,
11
162
THE EMPEROR OF ROME TAKES HIS LEAVE.
He told hia father
all the events,
how his sister was
helped by her
son, and Melior
married to his
nephew.
The emperor
wondered, but
was glad his
nephew was so
peerless,
and that his
daughter had
been so well
aided.
;
of fortune fat was falle fram comsing to f ende. 5092
how his semli suster was holpen Jmrth hire sone,
& how fat maide meliors was wedded fat time,
to his owne neweu f ou^h it him noi^t liked. 5095
& whan f emperour hade herde [holly] l f o wordes,
he was a-wondred gretli as he wel mi^t,
but glad he was fat his neweu * so nobul was wox,
& preised so perles al of er fat he passe]?, 5099
of alle kni^tes vnder [heuene] 2 fat knowe were f anne.
& fat his doubter of here duresse was so deliuered,
Gretli he f onked god * of his grete mi^t 5
& lined fan in lisse * al his lif after. 5103 k
but go we now from f e gregoyse & ginne of anof er, u^
& of f e puple in palerne how f ei passed, telle.
Next, the
emperor of Rome
went homewards,
and William and
the rest escorted
him for five
miles.
[Fol. 80.]
The emperor
advises his
daughter, saying,
"Be courteous to
all, meek to thy
servants, and
leal to thy lord.
l%e real emperour of rome remewed next after
Y redili towardes rome with al his route nobul.
wilKam & his moder meliors 3 & his suster, 5108
f e king of spayne & his sones * & here semli puple,
werct wif him on gate wel an fine myle,
to conueye him curtesli * as kindnesse it wold,
wif al f e mwrf vpon mold * fat men mi^t on f enk.
& as f ei went bi f e weie wittow for sof e,
ful mekli to meliors f emperour f us saide,
" now, dere dor^ter, i f e preie do bi mi rede.
lok f ou bere f e buxumli & be god & hende,
konnyng & kurtes to komwne & to grete ;
be meke & mercyabul ' to men fat f e serue,
and be lei to f i lord and to fis ladi after,
fat is his menskful moder * & moche f ow hire loue.
& alle f e lordes of fis lond loue wel after,
& loke, doubter, bi f i lif as f ow me louest dere,
J>at neuer f e pore porayle * be piled for f i sake,
1 See 1. 24G.
2 Read " vnder god" or "vnder heuene"M..
3 MS. repeats " meliors."
5113
5116
5119
HIS LAST ADVICE TO HIS DAUGHTER.
163
ne taxed to taliage but tentyfli fow help, 5124
fat al f is lond be lad in lawe as it ou^t ;
fan wol al f e pore puple preie for J>e ^erne,
to Hue long in god liif & f i lord alse.
stifli loke fowst[r]iue *fo[r] state of holi cherche, 5128
to meyntene it manli on alle mane?- wise.
Gif gretli of j?i god for goddes loue of heuen ;
be merciabul to alle men * fat in mechef arn ;
so schaltow gete god los & gretli be menskked, 5132
as ban al fin aunceteres or fow were bi-geten.
do Jms, mi dere doubter & drede fow f e neuer,
fat fow ne schalt haue heuen blisse after f is Hue."
ful mekli seide meliors wif meling of teres, 5136
" i hope, sire, to heuen king ^our hest so wirche,
fat no barn fat is born * schal blame mi dedes."
ful tyt after f o tales f ei token here leue,
clipping & kesseng * kurtesli eche ofer.
but f e mournyng fat meliors made fat time,
for hire fader schold fare from hire so sone,
treuli it were ful tor to telle f e sof e.
ac femperour ful hendeli held hire in is armes,
& comforted here kindeli and f e quen preiede
to be meke & merciabule * to meliors his doubter,
" & cheresche here & chaste ^if fat chauwce falles,
fat sche wold miswerche wrongli any time." 5148
" 3is, bi crist, sire," quaf f e quen " kare nou^t f er-
fore.
i loue hire as miin owne lif * leue f ou for sof e,
wel i wot sche wol worche * al-way fe gode. 5151
for-f i here wille schal be wrou^t * what sche wol ^erne
fat sche ne schal want in no wise what f e hert Hkes.''
f emperour hire f roli f onked many f ousand sif e,
& after fat, anon ri3t to alisauwdrine he seide, 5155
" God has f e nou^t for-gete my gode hende mayde;
for worchipfulli artou wedded to welde a kinges sone.
ful busili i f e bidde fat burn euer honoure,
11 *
5140
5144
Never let the
poor be robbed on
thine account,
and the poor will
pray for thee.
Strive to maintain
the church.
Be pitiful to all
in trouble.
Do thus, and thou
shalt win the
bliss of heaven."
Melior, weeping,
says she hopes
none will ever
blame her.
It were hard to
tell how Melior
mourned at her
father's
departure.
But he comforted
[Fol. 80 &.]
her, asking the
queen to be kind
to her, and to
chasten her when
she does wrong.
The queen
promises, saying
she will doubtless
always do right.
The emperor
tells Alexandrine
that God has not
forgotten her.
164
THE KING OF SPAIN TAKES HIS LEAVE.
"Your command
shall be kept,"
she replied.
& wirche him al f e worchip * in world f atou maye ;
Jjanne schal eche lud f e loue * & for fi lif preie." 5160
" 3 our hest, sire, schal "be holde " * sede alisaimdrine
fanne,
" so fat 30 ne schul here * of me nou}t but gode,
I hope, furth goddes grace * but gomes on me lye."
Then the emperor femperour fan ti^tli tok leue of hem alle, 5164
and went to ' & wendes forf on his way wi3tli to rome,
& liuede ))ere in liking a long time after.
now reste we of romaynes & reken we ferre,
we now speak of & spcke we of be spaynols wil we haue space. 5168
the Spaniards.
hou f ei sped hem to spayne spack f er-after.
William and his
mother and
Melior return to
the palace at
Palermo.
The king of Spain
and Braundine
and his sons
propose to take
leave.
[Fol. 81.]
The king of Spain
thanks king
William.
William is very
sorry to lose
Alphonse, and
says,
TTThan f e king of palerne & his perles moder,
& f e meke meliors his menskful quene,
were come a-je to here court * to carpe fe sofe, 5172
f ei passed in-to palerne to f e paleis riche,
with al f e nmrf e vporc mold * fat man mi^t of fink,
but on f e morwe manli * to mene f e sofe,
fe king of spayne spacli * spac to take leue, 5176
for him & alle his felawchipe to fare fat time,
bof e him-self & brau/idine jjat was his bold quene,
& his semli sones bo)>e alphouws & his brofer,
& here worfi wiues * fat were alle at onis. 5180
king wilKm fe king * of spayne Jjonkes
of al )?e faire fordede * fat he hade for hem wrou^t, 1
furh fe grete grace fat god hade him sent ; 5183
for caire wold f ei to here cuntre & mst him bi-teche.
whan f e king was war f ei wold nedes wen[d], 2
Gret sorwe for alphouws sake sank to his herte,
for he schuld his felawchipe * for-go at fat time. 5187
but whan fat he nedes 3 most * he nam him bi hond,
& seide, siking sore * " now alphourcs, swete brof er,
1 MS. " woru^t."
2 MS. " wen nedes.'
8 MS. " nedest."
Read "nedes wend." M.
THE SPANIARDS ALL RETURN HOME.
105
sef f e f ou cairest in-to f i cuntre to kepe f i reaume,
I bidde f e as buxurali as broker schal a-nof er,
3 if it bi-tide eni time fat fow tene haue, 5192
with werre or of er wrong with eny wi}t in erf e,
or with f e sori sarazins schuldest haue to done,
sende to me f i sond swif e vpon hast,
& i schal hastili me hi3e bi him fat me bou^t, 5196
to venge f e verali for ou$t fat bi-tidef ."
" f e selue, sire, seie i be f e " seide alphourcs f anne,
" sone to come to f i sond schal f er non me lette."
eij>er f onked ofer many f ousand l sifes, 5200
& lau^t sef e here leue fou^h hem lof were.
" If, Alphonse,
thou art ever in
trouble, or art
assailed by the
Saracens,
send a message to
me, and I will
come and help
thee."
" I say the same
by thee," said
Alphonse ;
" nothing shall
prevent me from
coming to thee-"
"Kanne mekli will?'arns moder & meliors he kissed,
y bi-kenned hem to cn'st on croyce fat was peyned,
& mekli f e quen fan * to hire doubter meled, 5204
& kenned hire curtesli * to kepe wel hire mensk,
bad hire be buxuw * & wel hire burn loue,
& haue pite on f e pore * & prestli hem help,
& gretliche herie god & do alle gode dedes. 5208
& sclie, sore siking seide fat sche wold,
sche hoped, f urth goddes grace & hastli f er-after,
clipping & kessing to crist f ei hem bi-tau3t.
& spacli fe spaynols sped hem to schipe ; 5212
whan f ei were arayde * eche ring, 2 as f ei wold,
swif e f ei setten vp sayles & sou^ten on gate
with al maner mwrf e fat man mi^t of fink,
for wind & gode wederes hade f ei at wille ; 5216
& spedden hem spacli * til spayne fat f ei come.
fan alle f e lordes of fat lond & of er lasse & more,
fat were ou3t worf i of alle fat wide reaume,
hi3eden hem to f e hauene hendeli hem a^ens, 5220
& welcomed him worf ili as f ei wel oujt ;
& of alphouws come alle were glade.
1 MS. " Jjousans."
2 "rink"(?) See 1. 5353.
Then Alphonse
kissed William's
mother and
Melior,
and the queen
gave Florence
good advice.
She, sighing
sorely, promised
to follow it.
The Spaniards
embark, and
[Pol. 81 6.]
sailed away with
a fair wind.
The Spanish lords
come out to meet
them at the
haven.
166
WILLIAM'S GOOD GOVERNMENT OF PALERMO.
All went on to
the palace.
& so al fat puple to f e palays passede sone,
with al maner mwrf e fat men make couf e.
The king of Spain f e king of spayne spacli * to speke J>e sofe,
Aiphonse as king, krouned alphouws to king to kepe fat reaume,
as he himself
very old.
I now return to
William.
5224
for him-self was febul & fallen in elde,
to liue f e?*-after in lisse wil our lord wold. 5228
f us was alphoufts fere king after fat time,
& held a-redili to ri^t f e riche & f e pore,
so fat eche burn him blessed bi ni3tes & daie[s].
of him a-while wol i stint & of wilh'am speke, 5232
f e kud king of poyle * fat i of karped ere.
William and his
people return to
the palace at
Palermo.
He abolished old
bad laws, and
kept the good
ones, making new
ones also.
If he was beloved,
Melior was more
so.
[Pol. 82.]
The emperor of
Rome died and
was buried.
The Roman lords
send to William
and Melior to
come and live in
Rome
Opacli as f e spaynols * sped hem to sayle,
^ wilh'am with his folk * went wi^tli
to paleys of palerne ; * his puple him sewed, 5236
with alle nmrf e of menstracie fat mew mi^t on f enk.
fan wilKam wi^tli as a wis king schold,
pes amowg f e puple he put to f e reaume,
a-leide alle Infer lawes fat long hadde ben vsed, 5240
& gart holde f e gode and gaf mo newe,
fat profitabul to f e puple were proued & hold ;
so fat neuer cristen king * kau^t more loue
fan wilkam dede in a wile * wite 36 for sofe. 5244
& }if he geynli was god to alle gode werkes,
& wel bi-loued in his lond with lasse & wif more,
$it was meliors as moche his menskful quene,
or more ^if sche imjt in any maner wise ; 5248
so prestli sche wold plese f e pore & f e riche.
fan bi-tid it in fat time to telle f e sofe,
f e riche emperour of rome ended his daies,
deide, & was be-dolue as dere god wold. 5252
& alle f e lordes of fat lond lelli at o sent,
sent wilKam to seie so as was bi-falle ;
& to meliors his quene bi messageres nobul,
as to here lege lord lelli bi ri^t, 5256
f urth meling of f e mariage * of meliors f e schene.
WILLIAM IS CHOSEN EMPEROR OF ROME.
hendli al in hast f ei preyed him fider hi^e.
to vnder-fonge in fee al fat faire reaume,
& erden in fat empire as emperour & maister. 5260
whan f e worf i wilKam wist al fat fare,
& treuli hade vnderston ! f e tidinges to f ende,
to f e menskful messageres he made glad chere,
& welcomed worfili witow for sojje. 5264
naf eles meliors & he made moche sorwe
for f emperour was forf-fare faire to cra'st.
sone f ei cau^t cumfort for f is f ei knewe bof e,
fat def wold come to alle fat cr/st hade fourmed,
to emperours & erles to eche fat lif hadde. 5269
& god fan of his grace godliche fei f onked,
& seide f ei wold his sondes * suffer, & his wille.
but wilh'am ful wi^tli with-oute any more, 5272
sent as swif e hise sondes sof li in-to spayne,
bi messageres milde fa moche god couf e,
& bid alphourcs his brofer * schuld bliue come, 5275
& bring wif him liis [wif fat] 2 was his worf i suster.
alisauwdrine & hire lord alphoorts he bad hem preie,
J>at he dede hem com wif him * for cas fat mi^t falle,
& his feif ful fader * ^if he a-liue were.
(ac he was ded & doluen as dere god wold, 5280
& alphouras held in his hond holli al fat reaume,
as kinde king krowned forth, cuwseil of his peres).
& whan f e menskful messangers * here message wisten,
& hade letteres of here lord to lelen here sawes,
Jjei went wi^tli in here way with-oute any more, 5285
sped hem in-to spayne spacli in a while,
& to f e kud king alphourcs * kif ed here arnd.
167
as emperor and
empress.
He and Melioi
make the
messengers good
cheer,
but are sorry to
hear of the
emperor's death.
William sends
messengers to
Spain to
Alphonse,
asking him to
come with
Florence and
Alexandrine and
her lord and the
old king.
(But the old king
was dead and
buried.)
[Fol. 82 6.]
The messenger
soon arrived in
W h
an 3 alphonns witerli wist of here wille, 5288 when Alphonse
. , ., , , . , , . knew his brother-
fat f e ncne emperour of rome was redeli god bi- m-iaw was to be
taU 3 t, emperor of Rome.
See the note.
2 Eead "his wif that was." M.
The capital "W is mis-written M.
168
WILLIAM AND ALPHONSE MEET ONCE MORE.
he was very glad,
and summoned
ready.
Florence,
Braundinis and
Alexandrine come
to Palermo.
The great joy of
William and
for a week.
ready, waiiam
set oat for Borne,
providing rich
apparel for Melior
and his sister and
fat his buxura brof er schuld be lord fere-after,
he was gretli glad and oft god f onked,
& marie his moder fat him swiche grace sente ; 5292
& swif e lett of-sende ' alle his segges nobul,
after alle f e lordes of fat lond f e lasse & f e more,
& of er perles puple * him prestili to serue.
whan fei gaili were greif * as hem god f 0113 1, 5296
f ei passeden toward palern as fast as fei mi^t,
alphoutts & his worbi wif wilk'ams sister,
& brauwdinis his bold brober & alisauwdrine his wif,
wif hiwdredes of kene kni^tes i knew nou^t f e names.
& redili whan fei were come f er fei ariue schuld,
wilKam wif his wi^es went hem a^ens.
but no man vpoft mold mht telle be ioye
T
fat fe bold breferen bi-tweyne [hem] l made, 5304
wilh'am & alphouws * whan fei mette samen,
& wif his semli sister sef f en sone f er-after,
& wif his of er brof er ' brauwdinis f e bolde,
& after wif alysauwdrine & alle ofer seff e ; 5308
J^ P rest ^ ^^ a ^ f a * P u pl e ' to palerne fei went,
& made hem f er as merie as man mi^t deuise,
wif alle derworf e deinteyes * of drynkes & metes.
& fus fat perles puple in palerne hem rested 5312
sadli al a seuen ni^t hem-seluen to ese.
& bi fat eche burn * on his best wise
was P urue y e( l prestli ' of al fat hem neded,
^ wilh'am bat worbi king was ban wi^tli aare, 5316
wif al his real route remewed toward rome,
fan made he his moder be menskfully greif ed,
Mid him & meliors his quen in nmrbe to wende,
& wif his semli sister to solas here hertes. 5320
fan wif al his real route he rides on gate,
Redili to-wardes rome f o ri^tes gates,
with al maner mwrf e fat men mi^t on f enk.
& as fei caired ouer cuntre * & come nei3 rome, 5324
1 Read "bi tweyne hem made." M.
WILLIAM IS CROWNED EMPEROR.
169
J>er com him a-^ens of kinges & ofer grete
J>e fairest ferde of folk J?at euer bi-fore was seie ;
no man vpon molde nu'3t anie j>e noumber.
& worchipfulli J>ei welcomed willwim here lorde, 5328
& al his l freli felawchip freli J>ei gret,
& receyued hem as realy as any rinkes mi^t ;
Riden ri$t in-to rome with reaulte and murfye.
ac no tonge ne may ]>e atir of J>e cite telle, 5332
so richeli was al araied in rome for his come.
J>e prelates on procession * prestili out comen,
& alle J>e belles in burw busili were range,
for ioye Jrat here lege lord his lordchip schuld take.
J>an passed al J>at puple to J?e paleys euene, 5337
& eche man was esed euenli at wille,
wanted hem no J>ing Jjat ]>ei haue wold,
for plente to al J>e puple was purueide at ]>e fulle.
& on ]>e morw at masse to murage )>e sojje, 5341
wilh'am with al his worcliip emperour was maked,
& meliors his comli quen was crooned emperice.
]>er nis no clerk vnder mat ]>at coufe half descriue
Jje reaulte Jjat was araied in rome for fat fest, 5345
Ne J>e tijjedel of hire atir to telle J>e ri^t,
for al j>e men vpon mold. it amende ne nu^t,
nou^t ]>at fel to swiche a fest forsofe, half a mite. 5348
for-}>i wende i wol a while * wite $e for so]?e,
to reherce fe aray of ]?e real fest,
& telle former of J>is tale what tidde after.
On nearing Rome,
kings and nobles
come forth to
meet them.
All ride to Rome,
and find the city
richly decked out.
The prelates meet
them in
procession, and
the bolla are rung.
Next day, at
mass, William is
crowned emperor,
and Melior
empress.
Never was a more
royal festival.
[Fol. 83 6.]
T^ulle fiftene daies J>at fest was holden, 5352
wij> al )>e realte of rome * J>at euer 2 rink of herde.
no tong mi^t telle ]?e twenti]>e parte
of J>e mede to menstrales * fat mene time was $eue,
of robes wij) riche pane & oj>er richesse grete, 5356
sterne stedes & strong & ofer stoute ^iftes,
IMS.
2 MS.
; hes."
eneri
but see 1. 4232.
The feast lasted
fifteen days.
The minstrels
had presents of
rich robes and
steeds.
170
WILLIAM CREATES THE COWHERD AN EARL.
The feast ended,
William sent for
the cowherd.
He asks the
cowherd if he
knows him.
"Yes, by your
leave, you were as
my son for seven
years.
Praised be God,
who hath
preserved you
from poverty."
" True, you
fostered me, and
shall lose nothing
by it."
William sends for
his steward, and
gives the cowherd
a fair castle
[Fol. 84.]
and a " tidy "
earldom,
and bade the
castle-stewards
see that men
were obedient to
the cowherd's
command.
so fat eche man f er-mide mi3t hold him a-paied.
& er f e fest fulli was fare to f e ende,
f emperour fat newe was crouned, 5360
as a curteys king on f e kowherd
fat him hade fostered to-fore, seuen
& sent sone after him & his semli wiue.
& whan f e kowherde kom f e king to him saide, 5364
" sire kowherde, knowestow me ou^t so f e crist
help ? "
J)e kowherd kneled sone & karped fese wordes,
" 3a ! lord, wif ^our leue ful litel i 301! knewe.
I fostered ^ou on mi net for sof e, as me finkef, 5368
& seide 36 were my sone * seuen ^er and more.
f e riche emperour of rome fat regned here fat time,
wan 3ou fro me a-wei wo was me f er-fore.
but herded be fe hi^e king 3011 fus haj> holpe, 5372
& pult 3ou to f is pli$t * fram pouert euer-more ! "
wilh'am f e worf i emp#rour ful wi3tli fus saide,
" bi crist, sire, f ou hast seid * al f e sof e euene ;
]jou me fostredes ful faire as fel for fin astate, 5376
& bi our lord, as i leue * fat schaltou lese neuer ! "
anon fan het he in hast do him forto come
his stiward wif-oute stint to sti3tli alle his londes,
& bi-fore kud kni3tes and ofer kene lordes, 5380
he 3af to f e kowherde a kastel ful nobul,
f e fairest vpora fold fat euer freke seie,
& best set to f e si3t him-selue to kepe ;
and al fat touched fer to a tidi erldome, 5384
to f e kowherd & his wif f e king 3af fat time,
as freli as eni freke for euer couf e deuise.
& hastili het eche a baili fat hade it to kepe,
to do eche burn be buxum bi ni3tes & daiefs], 1 5388
to f e cowherdes comauwdemerat as to here kindf*
lord,
as f ei louede here Hues neuer to lette his wille ;
1 MS. " daie ;" but " daies " is better ; see 1. 5490.
WILLIAM'S LAST PARTING WITH ALPHONSE.
171
& sent his stiward as swif e to sese him f er-inne.
& hastili was his wille wrou^t witow for sofe. 5392
f us was f e kowherd out of kare kindeli holpen,
he & his wilsura wif wel to liuen for euer.
of f e kinde couherde * now nel i telle no more,
but lete him in his blisse & his burde alse, 5396
& touche we ferre as J)is tale forf eres.
Fan fis faire fest was finischid at fe .xv daies
end,
eche a lord ful loueli his leue gan take
of emperour & emperice * & oft hem fonked 5400
of f e worchip & wele fat f ei hem wrou3t hadde.
f emperour to f e grete god * ful godli hem bi-tau^t ;
but omage arst of hem alle hendeli he tok,
Mekli as f e maner is his men to bi-come, 5404
to com keneli to his kry as to here kinde lord.
& he ful godly hem fonked & to god bi-tau^t,
& fan went f ei here way whider f aim god liked,
eche lord to his owne lond * & lenged f er in blisse.
& king alphoufls a-non after alle were went, 5409
& his woichipful wif be-fore wilh'am comen,
& brauwdyns his broker * and alisaurcdrine his burde ;
at emperour & emperice euereche on at ones 5412
loueli lau^ten here leue to here lond to wend,
sone fan, sof li to seie * f er was sorwe riue,
whan fat wilKam was war * fat f ei wend wold,
Moche mournyng fei made & meliors alse ; 5416
but sef e it mi3t be no beter suffer hem be-houed.
william bi f e hond hent alphou?^s his brof er,
& nei^ wepande for wo wi^tli fus saide,
" brof er, }if it be bi god fat vs wroujt, 5420
I wold it were f i wille wif vs forto lenge,
hit forf inkes me sore fat we schul de-parte ;
but sefe it nel be non ofer 110113 1 for to striue, 5423
I bi-kenne 3ou to krist fat on croyce was peyned,
Thus were the
cowherd and his
wife saved from
the hardship of
poverty.
The festival
ended, each lord
went to his own
home;
but William first
took homage of
them all.
Alphonse and
Braundinis and
their wives
took their leave
to go home.
William and
Melior were much
grieved at their
departure.
[Fol. 84 6J
William takes
Alphonse by the
hand, saying,
" I would thou
couldst stay here,
172
ALPHONSE SWEARS FRIENDSHIP WITH WILLIAM.
and I pray thee,
if any one wars
against thee,
send to me and I
will come to
thee."
" The same say I
by thee," replied
Alphonse.
The emperor
William's mother
tells Florence to
love and obey her
lord,
and she promises
on her knees to
do so.
They give
Alexandrine the
same advice,
which she says
she will follow.
At last they have
to take leave, to
[Fol. 85.]
the great sorrow
of all.
The king of Spain
mounted his
horse, and went
home with his
&, brof er, i f e bidde bi al fat euer f ow louedest,
}if destine falle of ani dede fat f ou to done haue,
fat eny wi^t wif werre * wirche a^ens f i paie, tf^
swif e send me to say & sone i come to f e, 5428
fat no liuend lud schal me lette neuere,
wil me lastef f e lif for loue ne for awe ;
til f ow be wel wroke wol i neuer stinte."
" $a, blessed be f ow, bold broker " * seide alphouns l
fan, 5432
f e same sey i be f e so me wel time ! "
feiffullere frenchipe saw neuer frek in erf e,
fat more plenerli hem profered to plese eche of er,
& to help ofer in hast ho-so hade nede. 5436
f empe?*ours moder wilh'am * and meliors alse,
seide to hire doubter f e semli quen of spayne,
" loueli doubter, leue lif loue f i lord euere,
& be euer busili aboute him buxuwli to serue, 5440
& lede him euer wif f i lore * his lond to kepe ;
so schaltow lelli be loued wi]j lasse & wij? more."
& sche kneling on here knes curtesli saide,
sche hoped to heuen king whil here lif lasted, 5444
to wirche as J>ei here wissed with-oute any lette.
& to alisauwdrine a-non ri^t J?ei sayde
sadli, in same wise sche schold hire lord loue ;
& sche sore sikande seide fat sche wold. 5448
& whan J? ei sainerc had seide what hem-self liked,
& time was atte laste atwinne forto de-parte,
fer was siking & sorwe on bof e sides sadde,
weping & wringinge for wo at here hertes, 5452
& clippinge and kessing fei cau^t eche ofer,
bi-kenned hem to crist * fat on croyce was peyned,
& soute sef e on-sunder f ou^h it hem sore greued.
f e king of spayne spacli spedde him fan to horse,
& went forf in is way wif-oute any more ; 5457
& al his faire felawchip folwed him after,
1 The MS. has " williom," an obvious blunder ; see 1. 5198.
WILLIAM RULES HIS EMPIRE WISELY.
173
& sped hem banne spacli to spayne bat bei come. They were royally
* J received on their
fer were J>ei reali resceyued as god ri^t it wold, 5460 return.
with alle maner mwrf e fat man mi^t on f enke ;
& fere f ei lenged in lisse al hire line after,
& ledden wel fat lond to gode lawes euere,
so fat eche burn hem blessed * fat euer f ei bore were.
of hem of spayne to speke; my speche now i lete, 5465 or the king of
Spain I say no
but lete hem line in lisse at oure lordes wille, more,
of f e riche emperour of rome redeliche to telle.
&
TIThanne f e king of spayne spedli was faren, 5468
wilk'am with him tok al his worf i meyne,
& his menskful moder & here maydenes alle,
& rides f urth pempire of rome richeli & faire,
to alle solempne cites- & semliche holdes, 5472
to knowe f e kuntres as a king oii^t ;
lau^t omage of eche lud ])at longed to f e reaume.
& whan fat dede was don deliuerli & sone,
Gode lawes furth his lond lelly he sette, 5476
& held hem so harde * i hete f e for sof e, \J$
fat robboures ne reuqwres mijt route none, ' f '
f at f ei nere hastili hange or with hors to-drawe.
ilatereres & fals men * fram him sone he chased, 5480
Lieres ne losengeres loued he neuer none,
but tok to him tidely trewe cuwsayl euere,
fat al fe puple for him preide J>e pore & fe riche ;
so wisli he wrou3t to sauen his reaume. 5484
& }if he meke were of maneres meliors his quene,
was al swiche on hire side to telle fe tre[w]f e,
so gracious to goddes mew & alle gode werkes,
so pitevows to fe pore hem prestili to help, 5488
fat eche man hade ioye * to here of here speke,
& busily for hire bede bi ny^tes and daies.
& also will/'ams moder fat menskful quene,
so god was & gracious * to eche gomes paye, 5492
so witty & willeful to wirche alle gode dedes,
After this William
made a progress
through his
empire,
to know all his
countries as a
king ought.
He established
good laws, so that
robbers might
soon be hanged or
drawn asunder.
Flatterers he
chased from him,
and loved no liars.
Rich and poor
prayed for him.
[Fol. 86 6~]
Melior was so
gracious to God's
men and to good
works,
that all prayed
for her.
William's mother
was so gracious
that all blessed
her.
174
THE QUEEN OF PALERMO 8 DREAM COMES TRUE.
Then she
remembered her
dream, that her
right arm lay
over Rome, and
her left over
Spain.
William was her
right arm, and
Florence her left
She thanks God
for all her bliss.
.
fat eclie burn hire blessed busili euer-more,
& hei^li preiede to heuen king to hold here lines.
fan com here in mynde * at fat mene while, 5496
fat here sweuen was sof fat sum time hire mette,
fat here rrjt arm redeli * oner rome a-teyned,
& lelli here lift arm laye ouer spayne.
fan wist sche wijtli what it be-tokened, 5500
here sone fat regned in rome * here ri^t arme ment ;
fat here der-worf doubter * was drawe to spayne,
here lif time to be fere ladi here left arm schewed.
God Jjanked sche godli of al his grete mijt, 5504
& his menskful moder f e milde qnen of heuen,
fat out of bale hade hire brou^t * to blisse so faire.
William and
Melior had two
sons.
One was emperor
of Rome after his
father, the other
was king of
Calabria and
Apulia.
So came William
to be emperor of
Rome after all his
hardships.
t/x/S^
And so shall all
[Fol. 86.]
they that seek
good prosper.
"Uus william & his worf i quen winteres fele,
* liueden in liking & lisse as our lord wolde, 5508
& haden tvo sones sanies * ful semliche childeren,
fat sef f en Jmrth goddes grace were grete lordes after.
fat on was emperour of rome & regned after his fader,
fat ofer was a kud king of calabre & poyle ; 5512
& mi^ti men & menskful were f ei in here time,
& feifful as here fader * to fre & to f ewe.
f us f is worf i wilb'am was emperour of rome,
fat hadde many hard happe hade f ere-bi-fore, 5516
& be in gret baret and bale sum time ;
of alle bales was he bro^t blessed be goddes nu^t !
& so schal eue?ich seg fat sechef to f e gode,
& giues him in goddes grace & godliche ay wirchef .
In fise wise haf wilKam al his werke ended, 5521
Thus hath
William ended all
his work, as fully as f e frensche fully wold aske.
following the
French as well as & as his witte him wold serue f ou^h it were febul.
at eche marines
he conld.
The metre is the
best he could
make.
but f ou^h f e metur be nou3t mad
paye, 5524
wite him nou^t fat it wrou^t he wold haue do beter,
PRAY FOR SIR HUMPHREY DE BOHUN ! 175
$if is witte in eny wei^es wold him haue seined.
but, faire frendes, for goddes loue & for ^our owne Fair Mends,
mensk,
?e bat liken in loue * swiche binges to here. 5528 pray for the good
* f lord who caused
prei^es ! for fat gode lord fat gart f is do make, this to be done,
f e hende erl of hereford humfray de boune ; sS, earl of
f e gode king edwardes doubter was his dere moder ;
he let make bis mater in bis maner speche, 5532 He had it done
for those who
for hem )>at knowe no frensche ne neuer vnderstofw]. 2 kn(W no French.
biddif fat blisful burn fat bou^t vs on f e rode,
& to his moder marie of mercy fat is welle,'
e lord god lif wil he in erfe lenges, 5536
& whan he wendes of bis world welbe with-oute ende, happiness without
end after death.
to lenge in J>at liking ioye fat lestej) euer-more."
& god gif alle god grace fat gladli so biddes, God give grace to
& pertli in paradis * a place for to haue. Amen. 5540 in 'paradise.
Amen.
1 MS. " preyed."
2 Read " vnderstonde." M. See note to 1. 5262.
177
0f
0f
Yee jjt lengen in londe Lordes, and oojjer,
Beurnes, or bachelers bat boldely thinken
Wheber in werre, or in wo wightly to dwell,
For to lachen hem loose in hur lifetime,
Or dere thinken to doo deedes of armes,
To be proued for pn's & prest of hemselne, 1
Tend yee tytely to mee & take goode heede.
I shall sigge forsothe * ensaumples.ynow
Of one, be boldest beurn & best of his deeds,
That euer steede bestrode or sterne was holden !
Now shall I carp of a King kid in his time,
bat had londes, & leedes 2 & lordships feole ; 3
Amyntas be mightie was be man hoten :
Maister of Macedoine be marches hee aught,
Bothe feeldes, & frithes .faire all aboute ;
Trie towres, & tounes * terme of his life,
And kept J>e croune as a King sholde.
jjen this cumlich King & keene in his time,
Had wedde a wife as hym well thought,
And long ladden hur life in lond togeder.
Twoo seemlich sonnes soone they hadden ;
)}e alder 4 hight Alisaunder as I right tell ;
And sir Philip forsoothe his frobroder hight. 6
1 MS. hymselue, with e written above the y.
2 MS. "leethes," with rf written above the th.
3 MS. "feU," with feole written above it.
4 MS. alder, with e over a. See note.
6 Here follows the catchword, "Cas fel, dat dis K."
12
12
[Fol. 1 ft.]
Ye lords and
others, who seek
to acquire praise,
attend all to me.
I shall tell of the
best man that ever
bestrode steed.
Amyntas was
a mighty king of
Macedonia.
16
He wedded a wife,
by whom he had
20 two sons;
Alexander the
elder son, and
Philip.
178
PHILIP IS BROUGHT UP AT THEBES.
[FoL 2.]
Amyntas fell sick
and died.
Alexander the
eldest son was
crowned king,
but soon died.
His mother
Eurydice caused
his death.
She lusted after
her own children.
Alexander refused,
and she killed
him.
Thus he departed
this life.
[Fol. 2 &.]
Case fell, J>at this Kyng as Christe wolde Jjanne, 24
Was with siknes of-sought & soone ber-after,
Hee was graythed to grace & to God went.
His alder-aldust l sonne * J>at Alisaunder hight,
))o was crouned King to keepe be reigne. 28
"Well hee ladde be londe while hee lyfe hadde,
But his term was tint or it tyme were.
And all be cause of bi's case I con soone tell ;
How hee was doolefully ded & doone of his life. 32
Bat made his moder J)e Queene fat moste was
adouted ;
Eurydice hue hight unkinde of her deedes.
Hue loued so lecherie * & lustes of synne,
J)at her chylder hue chase unchastly to haue. 36
For Alisaunder, hur sonne assent so ne wolde
To fulfill so foule her fleshlych sinnes,
Hue let kyll J>& Kyng with care at his hert,
In be formest yere that hee first reigned. 40
And 'Sus lafte hee his life * our Lorde haue his soule !
For a feller in fight found men seelde,
While him lasted his life londes to yeeme. 2
Now let wee Jus lued lengen in bliss, 44
And sithe myng wee more of Jus mery tale.
Many years before
this, Philip was
fostered and
brought up
by Epaminondas,
king of Thebes.
This king
cherished the
child well.
Fel[e] wintres tofore in his faders life,
Than was Philip be free to fosteryng take,
In courte [of an] unkouthe kith * with a King ryche, 48
That was chuse 3 of be childe * & choicelich hym kept.
Hee that fostred, & founde Philip in youthe,
King of Tebes that time truly was holden,
Epaminondas hee hyght full hardy to nieete. 52
So hee cherished be childe cheefe ouer all,
jpat hee was woxen full weele & wyght of his deede,
1 An e is written above the first a in this word.
2 Catchword Now let wee dis lued, &c.
3 A y is written above the .
PHILIP'S LORDS REBEL AGAINST HIM.
179
Forto abyde any beurn in battle, or eles. 1
When his broder with bale brought was of life, 56
Ryght was, fat f zs renk * reigned hym after
To bee crouned a King in his right riche,
As maister of Macedoine * amonges f e greate,
For to leade f e lond as hym leefe thought, 60
Men to holden of hym fat hed was of all,
Philip fared him forthe in a fayre wyse,
To receiuen his right & reigne on his londes ;
But when f e Lordes of fe lond * lelich wysten 64
Of hur neew cuwmen King fat his kith asketh,
With greate werre fat wonne f ei werned hym soone,
That by force of hur fight ftei 2 firked hym 'Sennes, 3
That hee ne must in his marche with his menne
dwell, 68
Ne beleue in his lond ; fat liked hym yll.
Whan Philip felt tho folk so ferse of hur deedes,
Ayen to Tebes hee turned teenid full sore.
To f e Kyng of this case hee carped soone, 72
How hee was kept at his coome with a keene route,
That hee was faine with his folke to flee from his owne.
Epaminondas f e King was carefull in hert,
Till hee were wroken of f e wrong * fat f ei wrought
hadden. 76
Hee graythed hym a greate oste grym to beholde,
And cheued forthe, with f e 4 childe what chaunse so
betide.
So with Philip f e free hee fared on in haste,
To clayme his Kingdome & catchen f e shrews, 80
That beraften hym "his ryght * with rufull deedes.
Than, shortly to showe * f ei sharplich went,
And foughten for Philip his fone to dustroye,
Tooke towres, & townefs] * tamid 5 Knightes, 84
1 MS. " oreles." 2 M g. " del."
3 MS. " dennes," with thence above it.
4 MS. Dou, as if for " Sou ; " but " J?e " is written above it.
5 MS. " tamed," with an e over the a.
12*
Philip was now
the rightful heir
to the crown.
He therefore went
to Macedonia.
His lords with-
stood him.
[Pol. 8.]
Philip returned to
Thebes.
Epaminondas
wroth,
and joined Philip
to punish the
lords.
The Thebans
fought for Philip,
and discomfited
his foes.
180
PHILIP IS CROWNED KING.
The lords fled
to Athens.
The king of
Thebes attacked
it,
[Fol. 3 &.]
and took it.
Then was Philip
crowned king,
400 years after
Rome was built.
[B.C. 859;
A.U.C. 395.]
Philip is made
king.
He defeats the
Assyrians
[niyrians].
They acknowledge
Mm as lord.
Felled J>e falsse folke ferked l hem hard,
With skathe were )>ei skoumfyt 2 * skape bei ne myght ,
Who-so weldes a wrong J>e worsse hym 3 betides,
For hee, 3 ]>at reigneth in ryght reskueth troth. 88
For fere of sir Philip fledde they all,
And turned tit to a towne fat Attanus hyght,
A stij> stede, & a strong & straite for to winne,
And kept keenely Jjat cost fro J>e Kyng than, 92
That hee ne myght with J>o menne medle no while.
The King of Tebs for teene targed no lenger,
But sought to be Citie & a-saute made.
They "beseeged it so on sides aboute, 96
That they tooke J>e towne & traytoures sleew.
Thus faire Philip, J?e free his fomen awaited,
And thus sought hee his lond with lo^elike 4 dyntes.
Than Jns cumly Knight was crouned soone, 100
Of Macedoine made Kyng maugre them all.
Fore hundred yere holly as I here tell,
Sin J>e Citie of Roome sett was in erth,
Philip in his freedam * faire gan dwell, 104
So too reigne on his nyght ' as rink in his owne.
Now is hee crouned King & keeppes his reigne,
And swi)je hardie is hee * happes too fonde.
Now fares 'Philip be free too fonden his myght, 108
And attles to be Assyriens aunteres too seeche ;
And nere blynd J?e beurn of battle stern,
Till hee had fenked ]>e folke too fare at his wyll,
And wonne be won with werre full keene, 112
Folke to fare with hym as hee faine wolde,
To chesew 5 hym for cheefe Lorde & chaunge hym neuer.
Philip full ferslich in his fyght spedde,
And prooued in his powre as Prince full noble. 116
Whan hee had so them hollich ifenked,
1 MS. seems to have " ferkerd ;" see 1. 67. 2 MS. skourakyt.
3 See the note on these two words. 4 MS. lodelik*.
5 MS. chose n, with e above o.
PHILIP TAKES LARISSA AXD THESSALONICA.
181
Hee sought too a Citie full seemely too knowe,
Larissea hy^t, \a\, helde full hardie men in,
One J>e klenist coste j>at any King aught. 120
Philip fetches hym folke & foundes full soone
Too bidden jjem battle & brodes in haste,
For to lache hym as Lorde ]>e lond for to haue,
Or deraine it with dintes * & deedes of armes. 124
Ferse were Jjo folke & foughten in haste,
Or j>ei lesen J?eir lond * their life for too spill.
Longe lasted J>at strife but lelli too knowe,
By fin force of his fight * Philip it winnes. 128
Now hath Philip in fyght freely wonne
The Citie of Assyriens with selkouthe dintes ;
And lordship of Larisse laught too his will ;
And intoo Greece hee gose with a grim peeple. 132
Than hee turnes too a towne Tessalonie it hyght ;
And assailes it soone J?e Citie to haue.
Too [sese] 2 onely j?e towne or any o]>er goodes,
Hee ne nyed it nought but needely too haue 136
All )>o mightfull menne ]pat in J>e marches dwelt,
Too bryng at his baner for bolde ]?ei were,
And a-losed in lond for leeflich Knightes.
For jrc's enchesoun hee chused too chasen hem Jwre,
Till J>ei were at his wyll as hee wolde ax. 141
But or hee tooke so their toune teene gan spring ;
Many a dulfull dint deled jjei there.
But all Jbei were unware wisly too knowe 144
Of \>at sorowfull asaute fat they so had ;
For hadde J?ei knowe ]>e kast of ]>e Kyng stern,
They had kept well his cumme with carefull dintes.
Jjei see no succour in no syde aboute, 148
That was come to hur koste J?e king for to lett ;
And Philip with his fresh folke so fast J>em assailes,
That J?ei gradden hur grij> his grace to haue,
Him to taken jjeir toune & trulich to serue, 152
1 MS. holde, with e above o. 2 See the iiote.
He next attacks
Larissa.
[PoL 4.]
The people are
fierce, and fight
long.
He takes Larissa.
He attacks
Thessalonica.
He did not care to
rule over the
town, but to make
the men in it his.
It is a hard
fight.
[Fol.46.]
No one comes to
help them.
They capitulate.
182 DESCRIPTION OF THE PRINCESS OLYMPIAD
For to wend at his wyll whereso hym liked,
And redy to his retainaunce ryght as hee wolde.
Philip now takes ^ow is Philip full grym in fyght for to meete,
And many mightfull menne may with hym leade.
Attend, fe trie toune * hee tooke too his wyll, 157
The folke too fare with hym when hee fonde time.
and the city of Jje Citie of Assyrie * is sett too his paye,
And all J>e beurnes in Jje borowe boune too his heste.
The Lordship of Larisse is lauht top himselue, 161
Men too curame too his crie & kif en f eir might.
and Thessaionica. Tessalonie fe trewe holde is turned too hym alse,
With all fe weies in fe won his werre too keepe. 164
3Tow is fat peeple full prest & preeued of strength
For too wirchen his will & wend at his neede.
pwiip is doughty Philip, for his ferse folke in fele l ober landes,
and dreadful.
Doughtye men douten * for dreedfull hee seemes. 168
By euery koste, fat hee com kid was his might,
For when hee medled him moste f e maistrie hee had.
i next speak of To profre bis process prestly too here.
Erabel, King of Erubel
Moioseis. j karp O f a kid king * Arisba was hote ; 172
The Marques of Molosor 2 menskliche hee aught,
For hee was King of f e kif * & knight wel a-losed.
He had a sister, Hee had a suster in sight seemely to sonde,
The moste lufsum of life fat euere lud wyst ; 176
[Pol. 5.3 Olympias be onorable ouer all hue hyght.
named Olympias.
Rose red was hur rode * full riall of schape :
With large forhed & long loueliche tresses,
she had golden Glisiande as goldwire growen on length ; 180
eyes', gr **** Bryght browse ibent blisfull of chere ;
Grete yien, & graie gracious lippes ;
Bothe cheeks, & chinne * choice too beholde ;
1 MS. fale.
2 MS. Molosor, with a'* over the two jfirst o's / so in 1. 204.
Marques should perhaps be marches.
PHILIP WOOS AND WEDS OLYMPIAS.
183
Mouth meete pertoo moste for too praise. 184 a meet moutn,
Hur nose namelich faire hur necke full scheene ;
Schuft shulders aright well ischaped armes ; well-shaped arms,
Hondes hendely wrought helplich, sweete ;
Faire fyngers unfolde fetise nailes ; 188 fair fingers,
Sides seemely sett seemlich long. seemly sides,
Hupes had hue faire & hih was hue pan ; Mr hips,
Hur pies all porou-oute pristliche ischape,
With likand legges louely too scene ; 192
And Jje fairest feete pat euer freke kende,
With ton l tidily wrought ' & tender of hur skinne.
Liliwhite was hur liche to likne pe beurde ;
Where is per lengged in lond * a Lady so sweete? 196
Der sprong neuer spicerie so speciall in erpe,
'Net triacle in his taste * so trie is too knowe, sweeter.
As that Ladie, with loue too lachen in armes !
" 16
Wherfore I carp of tys case * knowe yee may. 200
Philip pe free king that ferse was of myght,
For pe beurde so bry#7it was of blee scheene,
He had his liking ilaide * pat Ladie too wedde.
Too Molosor with his menne * hee meeued in haste, 204
Craued soone at pe Kyng pat comelich beurde,
For too welde too his wife as hee will hadde.
%e king was full curtais & coflich hym grauntes,
For had hee werned 2 pat wjght wo had hee suffred,
For pat freelich fode Philip, wolde eles 209
Haue geten [hire] with grim stroke of grounden tooles.
pat time thought pe Kyng to targe no lenger ;
But bring pat blisfull to pe bern soone. 212
To kyng Philip hee comme as curteis of deede,
And laffc hym pe Ladie * to lache at his wyll.
For hee thought on this thing proliche 3 in hert,
1 MS. toze, with ton above.
2 Over this word is the gloss si prohibuisset.
3 MS. proliche, with- e over the o.
Philip desires to
wed her.
and craves her of
her brother.
[Fol. 5 b.]
He dares not
refuse Philip.
He brings the
lady to Philip.
He thought that,
184
PHILIP INVADES MOLOSSIS.
were Philip his
ally,
none would dare
offend him.
Bat he made a
mistake.
For, after Philip
had made her
his queen,
he invades
Molossis.
His men seize
the cities.
[Pol. 6.]
Brubel goes into
exile, and
continues ia
sorrow till hte
death.
3if hee had too his help in his hie neede 216
Of Macedoine |je King a mighty man holdew,
To alie him too ]>at Lorde & his loue winne,
))er shoulde no bydyng bern so bolde bee in erth,
Too teene hym untruly term of his reigne ; 220
Ne to greeue )>e gome for gremjje of his help,
The while ~Philip ]>e free hym frendship kid.
Hee was bitraide in his trust for truly J?er-after,
When Sir 'Philip was fare with jje faire beurde, 224
And wedded \>at wight with worship & ioye,
To bee Ladie of his land & his leeue make,
Men to queme hur as Queene & qmklich hur serue,
Bothe beurdes & bern[es] boune l too hur wyll, 228
To Molosor with maine his menne gan hee bryng.
Y-armed at all pointes J>ei auntred hem 'Sider ;
Mani a lud of J?e lond raid hi to grounde,
And many a seemeli segge * sorowe they wrought. 232
J)ei laft for J>o fe lond Lordshipes tooke,
Seseden 2 ]>e cities and seemelich tounes,
Keuered hem casteles )>e Kyng too distn'e ;
For his susteres sake cease they nolde, 236
That hee with werre ne wan J>e won fat hee aught,
And )>e Kyng of his ki]> wiih, care ])ei pinte.
And "Philip unfaithfully j?e faire coste had,
Eruba
Arisba in exile euer was after, 240
And neuer comme too his ki]> but caught was in teene.
With doole dried hee so his dayes in sorowe,
To hee gaf 3 up his goste with God for too dwell.
Of J>at carefall kyng carp I no farre, 244
But leaue hym in languor & lysten too more,
Philip seeks to be How "Philip chases as cheefe chaunces too fonde, 4
feared in all lands.
Too bee adouted as deth in diuers londes.
1 MS. seems to have boane.
2 MS. ffefeden, the en being above the line.
3 MS. gaue, with f above ue. 4 MS. fynde, with o over the y
HE LOSES AN EYE IN THE ASSAULT OF METHONE.
185
When lie had so hem [hampred he] hendely fetched
His make too Macedoine with mirthes ynow. 249
He laught leue at hits wife & laft hur still
For too line in hur londe in liking of hert,
That no gome under God greeuen hur myght. 252
Philip his faire folke ferselich araies,
Too Greece he gra[i]j>es hym now with a grete will.
Comothonham
Hee comme too Methone full cumlich a place,
Of any borowe best buylt & bolde menne J>ere, 1 256
One ]>e hugest holde & hard for too wynne,
That was in Greece o ]?e grounde grained too stond.
Hee brought his menne to J>e borowe 2 & bliue it asailes,
With prese of his power * hee profers J>em fyght. 260
Many a cumly Knight & oj>er kid peeple
On euery side was sett asaute too make.
Joough 3 Philip fared wiih folke ferefull in fyght,
Litle gained his greefe for grim thei were, 264
To warden jjeir walles wiih weies ynow.
J)at citie wer sure men sett for too keepe,
With mich riall araie redy too fight,
With atling of areblast 4 & archers ryfe. 268
Well fejjered flon floungen aboute,
Grim arowes & graie wiih grounden hedes
Wer enforced to flie her fone for to greeue.
So bolde were in J?e borowe wiih balefull strokes, 272
)3at of Philips folke * fele they slew,
And many mightfull men maymed hee J?ere,
))at J>e prent of J?at prese * passed neuer.
And Philip )>e ferse King foule was maimed ; 276
A schaft wiih a scharp hed shet 5 oute his yie,
That neuer sibjjen forsobe sawe he therin.
j)e gremj)e of bo grim folke glod to his hert,
1 MS. J>ere, with d (for $) over the ]>, See the note on bolde.
2 MS. has another o above the first o.
3 MS. Though, with \> over the Th.
4 MS. areblast, with i over it, between the a and r,
5 MS. shet, with o over the e.
He takes leave
of his wife.
He comes to
Methone.
He attacks
Methone with
his army.
He finds them
ready to fight.
[Fol. 6 b.]
They vex him
with arblasts and
arrows.
They slay many
of his men.
A shaft shoots out
his own eye.
186
PHILIP VOWS TO BE AVENGED.
He makes a vow
to be avenged.
[Pol. 7.]
For his eger enemies his yie to lese. 280
Hee made a uery uow auenged too beene
Of fat teenefull tach fat hee tooke fere,
And swore swiftlich his othe aswage hee ne sholde,
With all f e maine fat hee might * too merken l hem care,
For to take J>e toune * f ough hee teene had, 285
All f e segges in sight * sorowe too kif e.
[Pol. 7 &.]
He renews the
attack fiercely.
His men throw
stones at the walls
from engines,
and crack the
battlements.
They beat down
the walls.
The citizens
surrender.
Thus was the
city won.
Philip enforceth hym now his folke for to gie ;
Hee rydes thorough-oute f e ronk 2 araies him neew.
Many mightfull menne made hee stryue, 289
With archers & of er folke auntred hym nere.
))ei lete flie to f e floeke ferefull sondes, 3
Gainws 4 grounden saryght gonne they dryue, 292
Stones stirred they f o & stightlich layde
On hur engines full gist 5 to ungome f e walles.
]5ei craked f e cournales with carefull dyntes,
j?at spedly to-sprong & spradde beside. 296
j)e Kyng with his keene ost coflich fights,
And kif es all fat hee can f e kif for to haue ;
))ei [sesen] 6 on f e citie soothe for too tell,
Etur borowe bet so doune with balefull strokes, 300
And hemself in f e saute sorowfully wounded ;
And many a lifeles lud layed to fe grounde,
Jjat fei ne stirred of f e stede strife for to make.
Hur 3ates 3eede fei too & youlden hem soone, 304
To Philip farde fei forthe as fenked 7 wightes,
Profred hym fe pris holde * & preies 8 in haste
To deeme what hee doo will for hur deede yll.
)us 9 was fe citie of-sett * & siffen so wonne ; 308
But many a balefull beurn bought it full dere,
1 Cf. marked in 1. 932. 2 MS. rank, with o over the a.
s MS. soundes or sonndes. 4 MS. Gamew.
5 MS. iust, with gist above it ; and gist is marked.
6 See note. 7 Over fenked is tJie gloss, uanquissbed.
8 MS. praies, with e over the a. MS. Dus, with \> over the D.
WAR BETWEEN THE THEBANS AND PHOCIANS.
187
Komothonham
Or kid Methone too f e Kyng fell.
In Greece, many a grete toune grim was of strength,
And ]>e menne of fat marche misproude were ; 312
Thei were so ding of feir deede ded[a]in l fat they had,
J)at any gome under God gouern hem sholde.
But as they sayden hemself and assent made,
]3ei nere encline to no King hur kif for too gye. 316
They wrought by feir owne will & wolde nought
eles,
To seche fern a Souereine 2 fe Citie to ^eme.
Farre fen feir owne folke fare they nolde,
What lud liked hem best f e Lordship hee gat, 3 320
And on chees for cheefe & chaunged lome.
All swich cities fat seemelich were,
Philip fenkes in fyght & fayled lyte,
That all Greece hee ne gatt with his grim werk. 324
In what maner & how men may i lere,
))at hee withlich 4 whanne 5 f e worship of Greece,
To bee holden of hym * holly f e raigne,
For to gye f e gomes as hym goode thought. 328
Now tell wee of Tebes that tristy 6 was holde,
There as Philip f e free to fostring dwelt,
How f e ludes of the land a-losed for gode,
Wer enforced to fight with hur fone hard. 332
j)er turned a-^e Tebes twoo trie places,
)5e sikerest cities that any seg wist ;
J?e Lordship of Lacedemonie lof ed hem than,
And of Phocos f e folke fast hem assailes. 336
])Q werre wox 7 in fat won wonderly stern,
1 MS. dedin, with disdeine over it. Cf. 1. 584.
2 MS. Souereine, with a over ei.
3 MS. hi J>at, with ee over i, and g over the \>.
4 MS. wightly, with the older spelling withlich over it.
5 MS. wanne, with wh over the w. See " Werwolf," 1. 2852.
6 MS. trusty, with i over the u.
7 MS. wax, with o over the a.
In Greece were
many great
towns.
They would let no
one govern them.
They did as they
liked best.
They elected what
chief they pleased.
Philip conquers
them all.
[Fol. 8.]
I now speak of
Thebes.
The Thebans
are attacked by
the Lacedemon-
ians and Phocians.
The war between
them is very
stern.
188
PHILOMELUS COMMANDS THE PHOCIANS.
They fight on
foot and on
horseback.
The Thebans
are vexed at
their enemies'
fierceness,
bat are not
afraid of them.
The Thebans get
the upper hand,
and put their foes
to a heavy
ransom,
which they must
pay or die.
Not raising the
sum, the Phocians
resume the war.
Philomelus is
chosen their chief.
[Pol. 8 6.]
They know they
must pay or die.
And eijxsr on hur enemies egerly wrought.
On a season isett assembled they bojje,
With all J>e maine J?at they might metten ifere ; 340
Araide rinkes aright reulich smiten,
On foote & on faire horsse fought ]?ei samme.
Priken l on a plaine feelde preeued Knightes,
Bolde were bore doune on bothe twoo halues. 344
Of Tebes J>e trie folke wer teened in hert,
For hur ferefull fone so ferslich spedde,
With wrayth of a woode will wonde 2 ]?ei nolde,
To riden into the route rappes to deale. 348
Steedes stirred of J>e stede strane men under,
And oother folke on'hur feete Mowed them after.
The Lacedemonieins lowe laide were,
And of Phocus folke * feld they also. 352
The Tebenieins teenfully tooke this ojjer,
And to a riche raunson J?e rinkes they putt,
That amounted [to] more then they might paye,
Or dereine with right with rede of Jjemself, 356
To prefer hem as prisoners till they payde had,
To let lonely Jjat goode or hur life tine.
\)G companie was carefull & kest 3 in hur hert,
)pat Jjei J>at raunson with right arere ne might, 360
))ei wer so sorowfull hemself that summe to rere,
J)at j?ei ne spared J>at space * to spenen 4 hur Hues.
A proude Knight of jje prese hur Prince J?ei made,
Philomelo 5 J>e fell man was ]?e freke hote, 364
J3e folke of Phocus too araie & ]>e fight 3 erne,
With ludes of Lacedemonie to leggen on hard ;
For they kende J>e case & kneew eche one,
But thei prestly payde that precious summe, 368
Jpei sholde leesen hur life fei J?em lothe thou^t.
1 An e over the i. 2 MS. wonde, with e over the o.
3 MS. kast, with e over the a ; also the e is marked.
4 MS. spend, with nen (marked) over the d.
5 MS. Philomela, with o over the a; see 1. 421.
THE THEBANS SEEK AID FROM PHILIP.
189
And ^if f ei ferde ] to fight their fone for to nye,
With skathe to bee skoumfit <fe askape neuer,
Jjei wisten all full well wisly to knowe, 372
That more dreede fen deth drie f ei ne might ;
As goode thought hem go till they grounde sought,
To meete with hur fomen * & manlich deie, 2
As bee cowardly killd * for cateles want. 376
Forthe twrned thei tid hur teene to uenge,
All to lachen or leese or hur lyfe tine.
Full stoutely with stiff will f ei stirred on hur gate,
To teene f e Tebenieins * f ei turned to fight. 330
j)ei dradden litle hur deth & doughtily wrought,
jpei putt fern in perril & prikeden aboute,
)3ei rought lite of hur life * & laiden on hard ;
For fere, ne fantasie faile they nolde. 384
])ei were so hardie too harm * happes to fonde,
J?at f ei fat stint at hur stroke stirred no more ;
So f ei felden hur fone by force of her dintes.
For greefe of hur grim stroke grunt full many, 388
jpat hem rued f e res fat f ei ne rest had,
Whan f ei f e bikering abide with bostefull deedes.
))us Phosus 3 with fyght felden this of ei ;
J)ei tooken hur tresour & teened hem sore. 392
J2ei of Tebes with teene twrnede fro thanne
Ruefull & redeles biraft of hur goodes.
In sorowe bene they of-sett * to siken in hert,
3if f ei ne haue none help hem 4 to auenge. 396
For ^is 5 feye folk fter 5 * so fouli was harmed,
Till f ei were wreken of fat wo wolde f ei nought
blinne ;
To seeche more socour assented they all.
])Q mightie King of Macedoyne * moste was adouted
Of any wight in f e worlde f ei wist f e soothe. 401
1 MS. farde, with e over the a.
2 MS. dye, with deie (marked] above it. z MS. fcosus.
* MS. >em. 5 MS. dis, der ; and so is written fo.
Wherefore they
prefer to fight.
Better fall than
be killed as
cowards.
They attack the
Thebans
recklessly.
They fell their
foes by sheer
force.
Thus the Phociaiis
win the battle.
The Thebans are
rueful, and seek
revenge.
They resolve to
seek succour.
190
THE PHOCIANS SEEK AID FROM ATHENS.
[Pol. 11.]
They go to fetch
Philip, and proffer
him their
allegiance.
To fetch Philip, J?e folke farde in an haste,
And comen ryght to J?e kith J>ere jje King dwelt,
Besoughten hym of socour hur Soueraine to bene, 404
To be Lorde of hur land J?eir lawes to keepe,
Jjei to holden of hym fe hye & the lowe,
"With fat hee wolde with hem wend in an haste,
Hur enemies egerly in ernest to meete. 408
Philip grauntes & gose graithes his peple,
Til ]?ei to Tebes wer turnd targe f ei nolde.
With his ferefull folke to Phocus hee rides,
And is wilfull in werk * to wirchen hem care. 412
Folke of Phocus to fere or the fight comme,
Werew ware of hur werk & went for help.
Jjei armed J>e Atteniens & aunter hem jjider,
Strained in stel ger l on steedes of might, 416
With grim graifed gomes * of Lacedemonie,
All redie araied to ryden hem till.
Hem lacked a leader Jje ludes to araie,
Hur Prince in )>e forme prese * was prened to J?e erth,
Philomelo J>e faire Knight in J>e fight died. 421
When Jjei proffred hem prest & J>e pris wonne,
For J>ei myssed ]>at man they made hem a neew.
Enomanws, an eger Kny^/it in erth to fight, 424
jpei made master of hem ]>e menne for too leade,
And busken to battaile as bostfull in armes,
With a leflich lust lachte togeder.
Of Phocus J?e feU Duke in J>e fight rydes ; 428
Enomanws Jje bolde beurn J>e battle araies,
Hee was chosen for cheefe in chasing of werre,
Too bee Jjeir dereworthe Duke for doughtie hee
thought.
Now beene J>e parties prest to proffren hur dintes,
With baners brode displaide busken to meete, 43S
[Foi. 11 6.] Gurden in goode speede grislich farde,
1 MS. stelger.
Philip sets out for
Thebes, ready to
attack the
Phocians.
The Phocians
send for help to
Athens.
The Lacedemon-
ians also join
them.
Philomelus had
Enomanus
[Onomarchus] is
chosen leader.
He is duke of
Phocis.
Both sides are
ready for battle.
PHILIP CONQUERS THE PHOCIANS.
191
Bothe blonk&? & beurnfesj bareii to grounde.
Jjer was feld many frekes fat on f e feelde lay, 436
Euery segge for hymself bisetten hur might,
))at many a wounded vryght walowed }>ere.
But "Philip with his wight men f e werre gan ^eme, !
J)at by strength of her strife f ei straught to foote 440
All so many as his menne * mighten areche.
Jpus his peple on jje plain all f e pris 2 wonne,
J)at none stirred of Jje stede fere jjei stroke sett.
J)e ludes of Lacedemonie lof ed in hert, 444
jjat euer jjei stinten in strife to sterue in f e place.
Of Phocus jje ferse men forthoughten hem all,
})at euer jjei farde to fight with Philip jje keene.
Jpus jjis cumlich Kyng fat ilche kith Wynnes ; 448
Lorde of Lacedemoine was f e lud f anne,
And Phocus by fin strokes freelich hee walte,
And hathe all Greece at his graunte for his grete yie.
Many are felled,
and wounded
wights wallow
on the field.
Philip and his
men overcome all
they can reach.
Both Lacedse-
inonians
and Phocians
repent their
Thus Philip is
lord of
Lacedsemonia and
Phocis.
Now cease wee f e sawe of f is seg sterne, 452
And of a Kyng wel i-kid karp wee now,
J?at entred in ^Egypt * euer on his liue,
To leng in fat Lordeship & f e lond aught.
Of what kinne hee comme * can I nought fynde
In no buke 3 fat i bed 4 when I beganne here
\)Q Latine to f is language * lelliche turne.
Nectanabus f e noble man his name was hote,
})e nede of Mgremauncie hee nas nought to lern.
In art of Astronomic able hee was holde,
And cheefe of enchauntment chaunces to tell.
Hee was [kene] on his craft & cunnyng of deede,
Egipt by eritage entred hee neuer ; 464
Hee wanne it by witchcraft for y-wis hee was
knowe. 5
1 MS. ^enn or jeme; see 1. 365.
2 MS. pris, with ce over the s.
3 MS. booke, with u above the oo.
4 MS. bed, with had above it. 5 See the note.
We now speak of
a king of Egypt.
456 I find nothing
about his kindred
in any book.
His name was
Nectanabus, and
4 gQ he was skilled in
necromancy and
astronomy.
He did not gain
Egypt by
inheritance, but
by witchcraft.
192
ARTAXERXES EXPEDITION AGAINST NECTANABUS.
A prince of Persia
comes to
Nectanabus, and
says,
[Fol. 12.]
" The king of
Persia is going to
attack you."
Nectanabus does
nothing in
defence,
but secretly fills
an earthen pot
full of rain-water.
By his craft he
sees ships coming,
full of armed
knights.
A proude Prince & a pris fro Perss l was fare,
jpat helde of f is hye King hollich his londes.
To noble Nectanabws nam he his gate, 468
And tolde this tydyng to f e Kyng soone,
How hym was care to curame by costes aboute.
" J?e Kyng of Perce with prese of peple full huge
Graithes hym grim folke & greue }ou thenketh. 2 472
But yee cast at his corame to keepen hym hence,
Yee shall lose your lond & your life also."
For no care of f z's case f e King in lus lond
Kleped 3 no Knighthod ne no kid peeple, 476
Hee ne araide no route f e raigne too keepe,
But passed priuily in place full derne.
A prest erjjen pott hee proferes him till ;
Of rain-water ryght full J)e rink gon it dress ; 480
A bright braseyn }erd * brode on his hond.
And by f e conning of craft * fat hee kid hadde,
Hee sawe saile on f e sea seemelich Knightes,
Bothe schippes & schoute[s] with schawes of myght,
Well i-armed, iwis * werre too holde, 485
J?e egerest of Egipt in ernest too meete.
The prince says,
" Sir, I told you
the truth.
Artaxerxes is
coming with nine
nations,
Persians,
Parthians,
Medians,
Syrians,
Whan hee had fat happe hollich awaited,
})Q Prince to f e pris Kyng prestly saide, 488
" Sir, I tolde you trouth trist 4 yee no noof er,
Yee beene greeny bigo but grace you~falle.
Artasarses f e Kyng & armed Knightes,
Oute of Perce beth prest passing hider, 492
With nine grete nations too nye fee here.
Perce is J>e principall * & Perthe fat oof er,
Of Medie full mich folke murder fee think ;
Of Syria [a] siker oste sechen too fight; 496
1 MS. Perss, with ss marked, and ce above it.
2 MS. you thinketh, with $ above the y, and e above the i.
3 MS. Kliped, with e above the i.
4 MS. trist, with u above the i.
NECTANABUS REPROVES THE PRINCE.
193
With menne of Mesopotame too mark f e teene ;
Of Augmi & Arabes armed Princes ;
Jjer beene of Bosorij beurnes ynow ;
Of Arofagi all men that armes now welde. 500
Yee bene enforced to fight with f ws fell beurnes,
And oof er weies of f e weste werre too make ;
Jpis ilk tydyng of teene trowe yee mo we, 1
And but yee bett beene araide bale you springeth."
Mesopotamians,
Augmi, Arabians,
Bosorii, and the
Agriophagi.
503 Trust these
tidings, and
beware ! "
Nectanabus anonne right nyed hym tyll,
And gleming gainelich too f e gome saide
" Keepe well thyne owne koste fat f ei no kowme
Nectanabus
replies,
[Fol. 12 6.]
" Take care of
your own lands.
J3at is take too fee * truly too ^eme. 508
J)ou kif es no Knighthod * too karp as a Prince,
But as a gome wer agast * f ou grendes thy speeche.
jjei ftei 3 turn such teene this time hider,
With all fe might of hur maine mee too distroie, 512
J?e uertue of il uictorie of unwele peeple,
Is noghi stabled in strength of no stiff prese.
Thorou graunte of f e greate God if him goode thinker,
In fight or in fell turn * ^Ser 4 as flight is of dintes, 516
In battail or bolde stede bigly too wirch,
As mich may a meane man as a more stern,
For f ou seeste well thiself (saide f e king fan),
A Lioun in a launde may lightlych driue 520
Of hertes an nolle herde as happes ilome 5 ;
For no strength, ne strife * no stifnes of members,
But as gracious Godde grauntes too beene."
You do not speak
like a prince.
Though they try
to destroy me,
victory is not on
the side of
strength.
By God's help,
a mean man may
do as much as a
sterner one.
A lion can drive a
whole herd of
harts.
Strength is from
God only."
Anon as Nectanabus had namned f ese wordes, Neetanabus goes
Hee passed in his Paleis too a priuie seU, 525 to a secret ce11 '
Hee tooke prestly a pott too preeue yet more.
1 MS. may, with owe above ay. 2 MS. dare, with \> above d.
3 MS. der, for fcer ; but we must read fcei.
* MS. der, with ]> above the d. 5 Before and above i is wh.
13
194 NECTANABUS USES HIS MAGIC ARTS.
He makes ships Hee wraught shipps of wax & rain-water hentes ;
rain-water in a Hee puttes it in fe pott & a palme braunche 528
Hee helde hard in his bond & his art kijjes ; 1
With all fe wyle of his werk J>e waie gon enchaunte,
By his sorcery, he By segging of sorsery J>at hee sei 2 ]?ere
Barbary floating Fleete in Jje floode farre fro J>e lond, 532
Of Barbre J?e bryght God brem too beholde;
and the god of jje gaye God of Egipt glisiande bright,
Egypt sailing . .
there too. So sailed in J>e sea in that same tyme.
Hee bihelde how Jje God J>at heried was in Barbre
Gouerned hur goodes by grace of his mjght. 537
He sees the god of jje seg sei 2 well himself * bat socour him fayles,
Barbary will not
let the people For no grace hur grete God graunt ne 3 might ;
Of hem hoped hee help too haue at his neede, 540
But hee kneew by that kast J?ei kouth n.oght help.
He shaves off hair Jje beurn for a barbour bliue let send,
and beard, doffs
his armour, and His herd, heire, & hw hedde hett hee too schaue.
Hee cast of his Knightweede & clojjes hym neew, 544
With white sendal in syght seemely too knowe,
[Foi. is.] Of gold swith gret-won * graithes hee Sanne ; 4
His gold and All that Astronomie aught too long,
instruments of
astronomy he With ginnes of Gemetrie too ioinen his werkes, 548
Hee let trusse full tid * & takes nomore,
But fares with few folke farre fro J>e londe.
and passes into Hee passes as a Prophet priuely ]?anne
Etlnopia,andlives ^ ^.^ ^ Ethiope . & eft ^ ^ ^ 553
jjere hee lenged in Jjat land as a lud straunge
Men kneew hym for no king kunnyng hee seemes.
when his men Whan his menskfull menne might nought fynde
they pray to their Hur ked King in Egipt carefull J?ei were. 556
To hur God Seraphin * J
Koure doune on hur knees [&] karpen J>ese wordes.
1 MS. kipes, with ee above the i. A p is often (in copies) written
by mistake instead of]}.
2 MS. sei, with aw above ei.
3 An o is written above the e. * MS. danne.
SEBAPHIN GIVES AN ORACULAR RESPONSE. 195
" Seemely Seraphin " saide they thanne, " seraphin, tell us
"Tell us sum tydyng of our true Prince, 560 Nectanabus!"
Noble Nectanabus that now is awaye ! "
Hur God grathliche spake & too be gomes saide, The god replies,
" He has gone
" Kares l nought for yowr Kyng fis kith hath hee lete, away for fear of
For peril of f e proude Kyng * from Perce fat wendes ;
Hee shall hye hym againe & help you faire, He will come
again."
And schend fern schamelich fat sholde you greue."
Of f is swift answer f ei wer swith glad, The y w ere glad,
and carved a god
And graueden a greate ston a God as it were, 568 of stone,
I-corue after a Kyng full craftie of werk.
]5e frekes in that faire ston at his feete soone at whose feet they
. wrote every word
Let write euery worde wisly too knowe, that seraphin had
That Seraphin fat Soueraine saide hem till, 572 said '
In mynde that more folke myght it arede.
Now nolde Nectanabus no while dwell, soon after,
m n f , TT- AMI i Nectanabus goes
loo f e Uourte 01 f e Kyng till hee corame were, to Philip's court
Too looke on Olympias fe onorable Queene, 576 to see Olympias -
J)at was alosed in lond of diueres raignes,
For one f e brightest of blee * fat bore was in erth.
Whan f e seg had seene that seemely Ladie, He greets her,
Too greete that gracious hee gose in a haste, 580 saym *
Hee cummes too fat comely & coflich saide :
"Haile ! quemfull Qaeene quaintly shape ! [Foi. is&.j
Moste of all Macedoine menskfull Ladie ! " 583 "Hani gracious
Hee was dedaine on his deede " Madame" too segge would not say-
Too any Ladie in lond for lordlich hee karpes.
))e Queene quitt hym his speche & quikly saide, The queen says,
"M n ster
" Maister, welcome, ywis will[e] yee sitte ? " welcome';
)?e Ladie laches f is lude & ledes in hand ; 588
By hur side fat seg too sitten hue makes.
))at worthlych too fe's wight wilsfuHy saide :
" Fro what kith bee yee comme kennes mee now j whence do you
Ert f ou aught of Egipt in ernest too tell ? " 592 r
1 MS. Kare, with s above the e.
13 *
196 NECTANABUS TALKS WITH OLYMPIAS.
"Queen, you " Queene," saide hee quikly " fou quemest my hert ;
gil?whenihe^ A full speciall speeche spoken yee haue.
of Egypt. Where euer menne saye 'Egipt' myne eres ar prest,
For fat wortlich l worde * waketh my bliss. 596
The men of It is a Knightly kith ' & kid men inne,
Egypt understand
dreams, and the Of any wightes in wonne wysest i-holde.
J?ei bene rinkes aright * in reching of sweuenes,
Too preeue*mich priuie thyng & pypyng of birdes.
Jpe ludene 2 of fat language lelli f ei knowe, 601
And bothe of burdes & bern[es] f e burth too tell.
T am an I a m a lude of fat lond * lered therin,
Effvptian
prophet." Too preche as a Prophet preeued of witt." 604-
When hee f ese tales her till had tolde soone,
])G face of fat faire thyng fast hee beholdes.
^Tenmewhat Lude," saide fe Lady "let mee iknowe 607
thought at seeing What thing thurlude thy thought f o fou mee bihelde?'
" Forsoothe," saide that seg " seemely Queene,
" A bright god I segge, God sent mee too saue thee now,
save thee from For too waste thy wo wiih wille fat I owe.
Thorou bone 3 of a bright God busked I hider, 612
Too defend fro doole fee dere worth Queene."
[Foi. 14.] Whan hee with speede had spoke * his speche to
f e end,
He fetches a brass A brem brasen borde bringes hee soone,
tablet set in ivory,
and decked with Imped in iuory too incle fe truthe, 616
gold and silver. ,.., , ^ .-, , -, .,. , . . ,
With goode siluer & golde gailich atired.
In this blisfull borde beholde men myght
Three circles were Three circles isett ' seemelich rounde.
)^ e nrs ^ c i r ^ e i n himself seemely was holde, 620
fa twelue si g nes in si g ht ' sett ferin-.
If any wight in this wonne * wilnes fern knowe,
Kairas to f e Kalender * & kenne yee may.
in the second was Sithen in fe seconde circle -soothely too lere, 624
1 MS. worclich. Cf. 1. 1024. 2 MS. lude ne.
3 MS. bone, with a second above the o.
HIS ASTROLABE AND HOROSCOPE. 197
Was craftely conteined fe course of fe sonne ; the course of the
And f e mark of fe moone made in f e third, in the third, that
))at bliss was for a beurn fat borde too biholde.
jpan fettes hee a forcer freelich ischape, 628 Then he fetched
]5at wraught was of iuory wonderly faire ;
Seuin sterres bat stounde * stoutlich imaked, with seven
shining stars
Hee showes forthe scheenely shynand bright. i n u t
])Q bern couth ferby boldely tell, 632 by which he knew
... a man's birth-
When a gome were igett * by grace 01 ms witt. hour.
Foure stones in fath l ' forthe gon hee bryng, He chose four
stones, belonging
J3at lay longyng * too the louelich sterres ; to planets.
Many thinges of man myght hee showe, 636
By studie 2 of f e stones in what state hee were.
" Maister," quath f e Queene " quainte of thy werkes, ^^^^
If bee liketh bat I leeue thy lufsum deedes, my dear lord
born?"
Tell mee tidly Jje time & term of ]>e ^eres,
In what daie my dere Lorde fat douhti is holde,
Was iborne of J>e burd fat hee best loued ? "
))e King by his kunnyng castes it soone ;
By ginnes of Gemetrie hee ioifully teller 644
Bothe >e date, & j>e daie & ]>e dere tyme, SL'^eX.
Jpat Philip was forth brought of his faire mooder.
Whan this rink had arad & redely showed, [FoU 14 & - ]
All Jje burth of J>e bern by his art one, 648
" Ladie," saide hee, " louelyche liketh bee au^t eles, He asks if she
1 would know
j)at I shoolde fee showe in a short time 2 " aught else ?
44 Maister," saide fat menskfull " mee likes too knowe,
What Philip my free lorde fat fairest of londe, 652
Wil wirch by mee? * for weies mee tolde,
Hee wyll forsake mee soone * & seeche hym a neew, for she has heard
he will forsake
Whan hee is cumme too f ia kith * too kithe mee her.
sorowe."
For yee ne hajie noghi i-herd holly be wrath, 656 (As you have not
J " heard Philip's
By what cause f e Kyng coueted in hert cause for wrath,
1 tell you note.
1 Stc. Read " fei)?." 3 MS. studie, with i above (he u.
198
PHILIP IN THE TEMPLE OF AMMON.
Once Philip went
to the temple of
Amraon, and
said,
" What wiU
happen to
Olympias ? "
"She wiU have a
child, the greatest
man on earth.
He will not be
Therefore was
Philip wrathful
against her.)
Nectanabus
answers, " It is
uncertain.
[Pol. 15.]
When Philip has
forsaken you, he
will have to take
you back again."
" Who will be so
bold as to make
him do so ? "
" A god shall
Too lof e this Ladie mee list you tell.
As Philip farde to fight in a ferce place,
Hee turned too a temple atired too-rightes, 660
His grete God Amon grates too 3elde ;
Hee kneeles coflich adoune & kries hym till,
And saide, " Seemely God send mee too knowe,
Of onorable Olympias fat I on think, 664
What shall hur happe to haue fat hende is of deede 1 ?"
His God gaue an ansuer & too f e gome saide,
" Hur chaunce is too haue a childe fat cheefe shall in
erth
Of any ludes fat Hue in Lordship wex. 668
#e bern shall not bee Sine l ' bolde f o f ou seeme,
But geten of a-noof er gome * in fat gaye burde."
Jjen was ])e King carefull & kest 2 for wrath
For too bring fat beurde in baile for euer. 672
Menne tolde this tydyng too ]>e true Queene,
Jperfore hur lyked fat lud his lore too knowe.
" Now," saide Nectanabus anon too fe Lady, 675
" }?e sawe fat f ou haste saide uncertain is founde ;
But Sei 8 f ou ne hap noght yet too haue fat sorowe,
jpat fere shall bifall fee * within few yeres. 4
"Whan Philip in his foule will hathe fee for-lete,
Maugre his malice * or his menne sterne, 680
Him tides to take fee a3ain trowe f ou no nooder."
" Maister," quod fe Queene "queme yee me might,
Of this unkouth case too karp f e soothe.
When Philip f e ferefull forsake mee thynkes, 684
Who durst bee so bolde fat bides in erth,
Too make hym, maugre his menne mee for too take?"
))us saide f e seg " Such one I knowe ;
A God fat is gracious & grete of his myght 688
1 MS. J>ine ; but above thesis a* witJwut the cross stroke.
2 Over the e in kest is a.
3 MS. dei, with though above it as a gloss.
* Catchword Whan Phelip.
NECTANABUS DESCRIBES THE GOD AMMON. 199
Shall busk too thy horde bed by pee too ligge,
And fro this harmfull happe help fee faire." thou have help."
pe Ladie full louely of pe lud askes,
"Which dereworthe dright desires mee too haue?"
pis King carpes anon * & cofly saide, 693
" Hee is noght yonge of his yeres pat yernes pee take,
Noper olde of his age but onely too showe,
In a meane maner mightfull hee seemes. 696
Hee hath hye on hut hed homes of syluer,
With golde gailye begonne glisiing bright,
With here on "his hedde & his herd also.
Hee wyll nye [fee] too-night & neede pee bihooues 700
Bee full prest too his paie & profer pee faire."
" 3if I may trowe thy tale - trulich," hue saide,
" I shall hilich [pee] herie with hert and wyll, th as a prophet,
"Noghi praise pee as a Prophet pat passeth in londe,
But as a gracious Godde greate I pee thynk, 705
And bileeue on thy lore all my lifetime."
pan nolde Nectanabus no lenger abide,
But gothe too a greene grounde pere grases wer sett ; worts,
Farre fro pe Paleis hee fares all alone, 709
And laches in a launde full louely wortes.
Hee grindes hem grathly * & gripes in honde,
Hee wringes oute pe wet wus and went on his gate. tFoi. is j
and wrings out of
Hee passed intoo pe Paleis in a preeuy wyse. 713 them the wet
When it dreew too pe derk & pe daie slaked,
pe burd busked too bedde & brought was on slepe, Atdusk,oiympio8
pis King with his conning kithes his werkes, 716
With wiles of witchcraft & wicked deedes,
pat by fauour of pe fende & his foule craftes
Hee grathes hym as a God & gothe too pe burde ; ^ayTrnmseif as
As hue slumbred on slepe slilich hee wendes, 720 a s d
And lyeth by pat Ladie pat louely was holde.
Whan hee his will had wraught hee wendes in haste, a^ goes to her,
' and soon returns.
And straihte oute of pe stede * with a stiff wyll.
200
NECTANABUS ASSUMES THE FORM OF AMMON.
She awakes in
wonder.
She had dreamt
of Ammon, with
silver horns and
face like a
burning coal.
Ammon was a
god shaped like a
sheep.
All the land
worshipped him.
Olympias had
dreamt that he
drew near her,
and said,
" Now is he
conceived that
shall keep thee
from care."
J3an f e burde in her bed braide of hur slepe, 724
And whan shee wakyng was shee wondred in hert.
Hue mett on f e midnight of mirth full riue, 1
Jjat grete God Amon gan f if er wend,
And had seemelich isett * siluern homes, 728
And bright biased his blee as a brend glede.
))en was Amon ywis of worship a-losed,
And igrett for a God gretest in lond.
Hee was ishape as a sheepe shinand bright, 732
I-painted full prisely & precious stones
Wer sticked on fat stock stoute too beholde.
All f e ludes of f e lond Lordes & eles
Set hym for soueraine f eir sokour too beene, 736
And saide fere sacrifice * in selkouth times.
Jpanne or-trowed Olympias * f e onorable Queene,
J}at hee neihed fat night nye too her syde,
And fonded hur fleshly ch or hee fare wolde. 740
Whan hee in his lykyng fat Ladie lauht had,
Hur seemed in fat same stede fat hee saide after,
" Worldly wooman * well may fee lyke,
For thy keeper of care is concerned now." 744
[Fol. 16.]
She sends next
day for
Nectanabus.
She tells him her
dream, and says.
" I know not the
truth of it, for I
was asleep."
He answers, " It
is quite true.
A morowe on f e mirie daie f is menskfnll Queene
Arises up redely and a rink sendee
Anon too Nectanabus & needely hym praies,
Jjat he cony corame * too carpen her tyll. 748
ftan laft Jrc's lud noght long ther-after,
But camme too fat louely too kenne of her lore.
))e Queene tolde hym till * f e tales too f e ende,
Of her dereworth dreme * fat draihte hur in slepe, 752
And hue saide too fat seg " Soothe of ei eles
3if it were, I ne wott for wislich I slept,
Whan I fat sweuen so sweete * swiftly mette."
," saide Nectanabus "ne trowe f ou no noof er, 756
ilk sawe was soothe & certain iprooued.
1 MS. riue, with f above ue.
NECTANABUS BECOMES A DRAGON. 201
For sif bou lene mee leue too leng biside, Give me leave to
be near thee ;
for. too stand in a stede of a straite place,
Too waite at a windowe & warn bee after, 760
I shoolde trie fe truthe & tell J?ee soone, uTs^or^isI
Wheber i faithfull or falss founde thy sawe.
For I warne ]>ee well with worship & ioye,
Hee wyll tee nye too-nyght * in a neew fourme. 764 To-night thou
-i i wilt see him "* a
In dreme as a dragoun dreche hee J?ee thenkes, new form.
, . , He will be a
And sithen showe hym hee shall a shawe as it were,
Mich liche i too mee by mark of my face."
" Sir," saide J>at seemelich " J>i sawes bee mirye, 768 myself."
bou shalt stond in a stede still biside ; "Sir, thou shait
be near. If it be
3if it bee certain & soothe biself shall i chese, true, thou shait
Too faj>er J>e free that I forth bryng." fetS?-*"
])e burd bad hastely by hur boure side, 772
Jjat swich' 2 a place 3 were prest too prooue J?e truthe. 4
Whan ]?e leme & ]?e light of fe leefe sonne [Foi. 21.]
"Was idrawne adowne * & dym were cloudes, At night, the
Jje Ladie lay on hur bed & lysted too slepe, 776
And this wonderfull weie waites his place ;
Hee stoode still on ]>e stede & stirred no foote.
And sleyly, when Jje first slepe slaked on wightes, 5
Hee chases by. enchauntement be chamber within, 780 Nectanabus takes
the form of a
And with a dragones drem dreew too j)e bedde. dragon,
}}an hee meeues too hur mouthe & makes his lidene,
And kisses J?at cumly & kithe^ his wyll ; comes *
And sithen hee seemed a seg hymself as it were, 784
And spake too her speedily these speciall wordes ;
" On fee is getten a gome j?e grimmest in erth, and tells her she
J3at all weies in fe worlde worship shall." mighty son.
J3us quaintely jji's Queene was quemed with gyle, 788
1 MS. liche, with ke above che.
2 MS. swich, with u above the wi.
3 MS. place, with is over ce ; perhaps the older copy had plais.
4 Catchword Whan $e leme of $e liht of $e leue sonne.
5 MS. nights, with w above n.
202
OLYMPIAS SENDS FOR NECTANABUS.
At daybreak he
returns.
The lady arises
and is attired.
She sends for
Nectanabus,
and asks what
Philip will do to
her.
He says that
Ammon will
protect her.
And wend gamene with a God gracious of might,
Whan a libbing lud * lay in hur armes.
j)is rink, or J>e sonne rist romes a morowe,
And passes in ]?e Paleis * prestlich hym one. 792
And far forthe on ]>e daye whan J?e faire burde
Had long Jjere layne * & had lyst too ryse,
Dereworth damseles drowen l them Jnper ;
Too seme ]>at seemely ]>ei setten hur hondes. 796
Whan hue was redie araid & riall on sight,
Hue sendee soone for J>e segge & saide fese wordes,
" Menskfull maister * makeles of witt,
Tell mee now truly & targe 2 no lenger, 800
What kid King Philip J>at keene is of hert,
Deemes with mee too doo * mee dreedes it sore 1 "
}?e lud too this Lady full louely saide,
" Of Philip haue jjou no fere for faitly too knowe, 804
Amon J?e grete God by graunte of my boone,
Schall fee wisse fro wo & wreche of his teene." 3
[Fol. 21 6.]
He gathers herbs,
squeezes and dries
them.
He takes a sea-
fowl, and anoints
it with the juice
of herbs.
Philip, by his
enchantment,
)3an farde Nectanabus forthe fro J>at place,
Hee wendes too a wildernes * & waites him erbes, 808
Hee tempres hem tidly & takes hem after,
And hee draines in a dish till J>ei dry were.
j?an fetches hee a seafoule faire of his wynges,
And sawes of sorsery hee saide therouer ; 812
Of his grounden gras * ]>e wus can hee take,
))eron hee brynges J>e brid & bathes his piliis.
By help of ]>e Hellfeende * hee hauntes his werkes,
To gille Philip in Greece whan J>e gome slept. 816
Whan it nied J>e night * nedelich & soone,
Philip fared too bed * & fell on a slepe.
))e chaunce of enchauntment chased his mynde,
))at hee was draiht with dreme thorou deuiles engines,
met fat man on his mirie slepe, 821
1 MS. drowen, with eew above owen. 2 Above the ge is ie.
3 Catchword" Danne ferd Neck"
PHILIP'S EXTRAORDINARY DREAM. 203
))at liee sawe on his sight * his seemely make,
How bat louelich lif laide was a bedde, dreams that he
sees Olympias
And a gracious God * gripte hur in armes. with Ammon,
Hee lay by Jjat Lady his liking hee wrou^M ; 825
And whan his deede l so deerne doone was in haste,
Amiddes hur membre * too maken it close,
Hee sawe hym sowen 2 a seme * by seeming of sweuen,
And with a gaie golde ring * hee gan it asele ; 829 who marked her
A ston stiked Jjerein * stoutlich igraue ;
be cast of be sonne course was corue berin ; on the seal was
the Zodiac, a
A litle Hones hed louelich ishape, 832 lion's head, and
With a swith faire swerd sweetelich imaked,
Was isett on fe sell }je seme all amiddes.
Whan Philip on J>e forthe daie first gan arise,
Hee cliped hym his clerkes full conning of witt, 836 He asks what the
Full noble Nigremanciens j>an 3 [nyed] hee in haste,
J)at kouth such sweuens swiftly arede.
Hee minges his metyng amonges hem all,
And what it might bee too meane fe menne gan hee ask.
His enchauntiour cheefe jjat J?e chaunce herde, 841 [Foi. 22.]
Too J>e cumly Kyng * kid these wordes,
And saide, " Sir, forsoothe thy seemely make His magi say,
By a gracious God shall go with childe. 844
be prent bat was i-putt on hur priuie membre that the seal-mark
signifies what her
With Jje gaie golde ring graue too-rightes, son shall be like.
)3e leue Hones hed * jjat laide was amid,
As mich amounteth too meane as I may tell, 848
When hur barn is ibore bolde shall hee wex,
And bee kid for a King kene of his deedes.
As be Houn is Lorde of liuing beastes, He wil1 1 feared
r like a lion.
So J>e ludes in J>e lond * alouten him shall. 852
Jpe sonne course 4 of be sell * sinifieth also, Tne **** means
he will conquer all
pat hee shall fare as farre as any freke dwelles, to the far East,
1 MS. deene, an obvious error. See note.
2 MS. sowen, with ew above owen. 3 Over the j? is d, for fc.
4 MS. coum; we 1. 831.
204 THE MEANING OP THE DREAM.
And right too f e sonne rist l * his raigne shall last.
J3e swerd sweetlich imade in sweuen too rede, 856
Bitokneth full treewly in times here-after,
J}at hee shall grow full grim * & graithlich 2 winne,
The sword, that With stern strokes of swerd * & striuing of dintes,
in battle. m ' Bothe boldes & boroufes] & bern[es] to his will, 860
And seemely cities as soueraine in erth."
Philip says, Philip saide, " Forsoope mee seemed fat tyme,
son would be her That I sawe f e God * go graith too hur bedde.
comforter." hee ^ ^ had ^^ . < Woman,' he saide,
' Thy keeper is concerned thy comefort too bene, 865
))at fee & Philip f e free * of fone shall auenge.' "
" Sir," said fe enchauntiour "soothely too mene,
Whan fe God ga,n speake too fe gaie beurde, 868
How hue concerned had f e help of hur teene,
Faire Philip & hur freely too keepe,
" That means, he J)at is wisly too witte hee will you defend
and he/from Fro paines & peril fat perce fee ne shall. 872
Of this mirie meting well may f ou lyke,
Of swiche 3 happes so hende herde I nere tell."
[Foi. 22 &.] In f e same sesoun * soothely too showe,
Philip farde too fight as I tofore saide. 876
The Thebans ))at time, f e Tebeniens hee turned too fight
A^ain f e ferefull folke of Phocus 4 f e riche,
With ludes of Lacedemoine lasches too deale.
A^ain Philip too fare feele f er 5 come. 880
Nectanabus Nectanabus anon right * vriih his nice werke^,
becomes a dragon, r^ QQ ^ Q ^ Q j, e g Qme . g ra jthes hym SOOne,
Deraide as a dragoun dreedfull in fight.
Hee wendes too f e werre with Philip too holde ; 884
In sight, 6 of f e same shape hee seemed fan,
1 MS. rist, with e above i, making rest, which is wrong (1. 791).
2 MS. has a gloss, greately, which is wrong.
3 MS. swiche, with u above wi.
4 MS. has an 8 above the c. 5 A d above the \>.
8 Above sight is written sute.
THE DRAGON FIGHTS FOR PHILIP.
205
As whan hee farde tofore too f e faire Queene.
J3an hee farde in fat fight as hee folke sleew,
And hrutned in that battle buernes ynow.
For dreede of f is dragoun menne dreew fern fence,
And fell doune in f e feelde fenked in haste.
J)e dreede of Ipis dragoun fat drof l men aboute,
So fought for Philip - & feld mo Knightes 892
ftan all f e.men of Macedonie * & more of Ms peeple.
Whan this Kyng had kill[e]d with careful! strokes
)3e Lacedemoniens fat life loren 2 hadde,
And Phocuswiik ferse dynt * freelich ywonne 896
Thorou drede of f e dragoun & drift of his Knightes,
j)e fell folke of Attens fledden hym soone,
And thought to sauen hemself fro sorowe of his wrethe.
888 and fights for
Philip.
Philip defeats the
Phocians.
Philip after jws fight * in a foule time, 900
"Was going too [ride] ouer Greece as a grete Prince. 3
J)e armed Attenieins auntred hym till,
}3ei wern ware of his comrae & his waie stoppes.
|2e King kif es 4 his gnm too keueren him gate, 904
But all his werk was in waste * fei werned his
thoughtes. 5
.For hee ne sholde hem shend * & shamelich take
Hur seemely cities too sorowen hem all,
Enforced were f e entres with egre men fele,
J)at hee ne might in fat marche no maner wend.
Whan f e seg sawe well no sokour ne speede,
He was gretely agrise 6 & greeued in hert,
For hee ne might in f o men his malice kith.
To Tebes & Tessalonie fat truly hym holpe,
Philip's progress
is opposed by tile-
Athenians.
[Fol. 23.]
9.08 The P asses are
manned against
him.
912
He goes to
Thebes.
1 MS. droue, with f above ue.
2 MS. loren, with ne above en.
3 This line is corrupt ; see note.
4 MS. keepes, with i above ee ; the p being obviously miswritlen
for J, as elsewhere. Cf. 1. 529.
5 Catchword " For he ne scholde."
6 MS. agrise, with d above the e to the right.
PHILIPS TREACHERY TO THE THEBANS.
His treachery.
He kills the
princes and dukes
of Thebes.
He burns their
towns,
and harms them
as much as he had
helped them.
Thus did he out
of spite.
[Fol. 23 ft.]
He next attacks
Cappadocia.
[Olynthus ?]
The men must
yield or fight.
Hee went as a woode man his wrath too auenge.
Whan hee comme too fat coste f ei kepten hym faire,
And gon too hur gates * & grathlich hem openes, 916
And lete f e rink riden in with his route sterne ;
And weies hym welcomes * with worship & ioye.
))ei trowed no tresoun untruly too haue ;
But Philip J>e ferefull faire thei grette, 920
And lete hym prik with his prese * in hur pns holdes.
As soone as f e seg was f e citie within,
Hee, wrathfull [of] wille wronglich fare,
Hee lete catch f e King & kyllen hym soone, 924
And his Princes of price prestlich hee quelde.
Douhtie Dukes with doole too deth gon hee bryng,
And oof er Lordes of lond liueles hee made.
Hee brende holdes & borous * & beurnes therin, 928
And all went too wo fat they with mett.
As mich as Philip tofore hem frendship wrought,
Whan hee fought for fern & Phocus distriede, 1
As mich maugre & more * hee marked hem after, 932
Too be-traie them untruly fat trusten hym till.
On weies & women awrak hee his teene,
And solde them too seruise in sorowe too Hue,
And robbed of riches all f e riche tounes. 936
J)us hee wrought fat wrong with wreche of his anger,
For teene of f e Attenieins fat turned him too kepe. 2
Whan hee f is cursed case unkyndely wrought,
Hee ne laft no leng[er] in that lond fan. 940
For too fonde more fight his folke gan hee leade,
And fares too a countrie with Knightes ynow,
J^ere a citie was sett seemely & noble,
J)at Cappadoce was cleped a full kid place. 944
Many doughtie of deede dwelt f erin,
})at wern fresh too fight & fell of hur deedes.
Philip bedes hem biker & biddes fern yeelde
1 MS. distroide, with ie above oi.
2 Catchword" Whan he dis kursede caw."
PHILIP RETURNS HOME.
207
At last he takes
the town.
J5eir faire citie in faith or fight ]>ei shall. 948
J)e seges in J>e citie * Jjemself so kept,
ftat Philip lafte J>ere long & litle hee spedde.
But hee ne stint of his strife noghi a stounde while,
Till hee had take ]je toune fat tristy was holde, 952
And made all J?e menne meeke too his wyll.
Whan hee had wonne Jr/s won & wrought more teene,
"With mirth too Macedoine hee makes his chace.
Hee priked too his Paleis with Princes & Dukes, 956 He returns home.
And many a seemely seg * J>at sued hym Jjanne.
Of hym ]?e Queene was ware & wendes with ioye, r ^iveshiTn
And romed light too J>e rink receiued him faire.
Philip kisses his fere as fell for too doone, 960
And kneew by hur countenaunce hue cowceiued had.
Dame," saide bat douhtie " how haste bou doone nowl phili P sa y s 8he
' has done amiss
Who hath fee unclene i-kept * sithen I comme fro pee 1
))ou haste medled amis * methynk, by thy chere. 964
Natheless I not 3it nai, as I trowe,
$of jjou haue cheuesed fee a chylde as ]>i chaunce
fallen ;
For it is l geten of a God thy gilt is J>e lasse.
Of all J?e happe Ipat fou liaste hollich ifounde,
I had minde on my slepe by meting of sweuen,
A3aines mee & all men Ipat may thee biholde,
Blameles fou might bee of thy berem-chaunce.
No wight of thy werk wite J?ee might,
Sithen it is sonde of a God soothelich i-prooued."
968
972
for he had learnt
in a dream
an about her.
[Foi. 24.3
It betid in a time tidly therafter,
J)at Philip made of folke a feaste fuU ryche.
All his Princes of price praied hee thider, 976
And oofer Lordes of lond ne laft hee none.
Whan hee is fare fro fight his folke for too feaste,
In Macedoine with his men this mirth hee made.
As soone as J>ei were sett & serued too-rightes, 980
1 MS. it it.
208
THE DRAGON COMES TO PHILIP S FEAST.
Xectanabus
appears as a
dr&gon.
Ho goes up to the
queen and kisses
Philip says it is
the dragon who
helped him.
The dragon
flies away.
!N"ectanabus by ISTigremauncie * neew hym attires,
And in a dragounes drem hee dreew to J?e halle.
Hee cowme first too ]?e King & too )>e kid Queene,
And sithen hee buskes aboute * pe bordes echone, 984
Hee drouned as a dragon * dredefull of noyes,
)}at all J?e gomes were agrise of his grim sight.
))an farde hee forthe too J>e faire Queene,
And hee holdes his hed -right in hur lappe, 988
And kisses pat cumly in knoweing of all.
Philip saide too his fere * freely pese wordes,
"Dame, of this dragoun I doo pee too knowe,
And euery liuand lud * pat lenges herin, 992
In a brem battail abrode in pe feelde,
Whan I was greeny bigo l ' with a grim peeple,
Hee co?ftme flie too feelde & my fone schende,
Jpat I was holpe by hym hem too distrie." 996
Whan Jra's tale was tolde & tended of all,
])Q dragoun dreew him awaie with drift of his winges.
Another time,
a bird lays an
egg in
Philip's lap.
[Fol. 24 6.J
An adder comes
out of the shell,
In a somer seasoun * soone therafter,
As Philip satt by hymself soothe for too tell, 1000
A faire breeding brid * bremlich went,
And in pe lappe of pat lud louely hee sittes.
Or Jns freelich foule farde of pe place,
Hee bredde an ai on his barm & braides him pan.
Philip wondred was of this werk quainte, 1005
And satte still on pe stede stirred no foote.
\)Q ai fell on J?e flore in the frekes sight,
And )?e shell to-shett on J)e schire grounde. 1008
Whan it cofli too-clef 2 per crep oute an addre,
And buskes full boldely aboute )>e shell.
Whan this worme 3 had went wislich aboute,
Hee wolde haue gliden in againe graithlich & soone.
1 MS. bigo, with ne above o to tJie right.
2 MS. too clef, with eue above f.
8 MS. worme, with wrom above it ; no doubt the older MS. Jiad
wrom.
AN ADDER COMES OUT OF AN EGG-SHELL.
209
But or hee had in his hed hee hastely deide, 1 1013
And dreew nere too his denne but deide bi-side.
Philip for Jws ferlich fast gan wende
To noble ]S T igremauncieins ]>at hym nyli were, 1016
And asked hem an answer * JHS aunter too reede,
For cheef of enchauntment chosen J?ei were.
'" Sir," saide one enchauntiour * " you? seemely make
Shall bere such a barn in a brem tyde, 1020
J)at by might of his maine & maistrie of Kinges,
All so wide as ]?/s worlde shall welden his raigne. 2
Whan hee aboute hath ibene * abrode in J?e londes,
And iwonne at his will * )?e wortlych 3 places, 1024
J)e kith J>at hee cowme fro * or hee com till,
Hee shall bee doluen & ded as destenie fallen.
As j?e addre of J>e ai * auntred aboute,
And wolde haue shoten in J>e schell or hee schent
were, 1028
'So shall fare by Jje freke Jwt ferre may bee knowe.
Whan hee hath reigned a roum as richest of all,
Or hee may too his marche with his maine wende,
Jjerc hee was fostred & fed him fallen too dye." 1032
but dies before it
can creep in
again.
It means that his
son shall be a
great conqueror,
but will die
before reaching
home.
JS"ow will I cease JMS sawe & segge you more
'Of hym )>at hight Alisaunder holly J>e birth. 4
[A portion of the story being here lost, the omission
is supplied from a French prose text of a similar type.]
[Le terme de 1'effantement la royne approchoit, et
lui commen^oit le ventre moult a douloir. Si fist
;appeller ISTectanebuz et lui dist : " J'ai grant douleur The <i ueen calls
for Nectanabu.>.
en mon ventre." Nectanebuz compta 1'eure et lui
dist : " Sousleve toy, royne, ung poy de ton siege, car
1 MS. deide dyed, and deide is marked.
2 Above the a is an e.
3 MS. wortlych, with worthly above it. Cf. 1. 596.
4 Here follows the catchword" Swiche fortune fel," but the
next leaf is blank. For an account of the piece here inserted to
complete the sense, see the note.
U
210
BIRTH OF ALEXANDER.
Alexander is
born.
Earthquakes and
thunder, snow
aud sleet.
Philip perceives
that the child is
divine.
The child is well
taken care of.
His hair, eyes,
and teeth.
ellemens sont orendroit orribles du soleil." Et la royne
se leva, et la douleur se passa maintenant. Apres ung
poy, lui dist : " Siez toy, royne." Et elie s' asist, et
enfanta ung filz. Et quant li enfens chey sur.terre, et
la terra croulla, et foudra tonnoirie, et signes grans
furent veus par tout le monde. La noif meslee avec
gresil chey du ciel et ouvry le terre conime des l pierres.
La nuit targa a venir, et celle fa plus longue des autoes.
Dont le roy Philippe fu moult esmayez, et dist a la
royne : " Femme, j'ay pensay en mon cuer que cest
enfant me feust nourris en aucune maniere, pour ce qu'il
n'est de moy conceus. Mais pour ce que j'entens qu'il
est conceus de Dieu, et pour ce que je voy les elemens
changier en sa naissance, vueil-je qu'il soit aussi bien
nourris en ma memoire, comme s'il feust miens propres.
Et vueil qu'il ait nom Alexandre, aussi comme avait
nom mon aultre filz que j'avais de mon aultre femme."
Maintenant les dames de leans prindrent 1'enffant
et le nourirent par grant diligence. Et sachez qu'il ne-
ressembloit au pere ne a la mere, mais avoit propre sem-
blance. Car ses cheveux estoient comme crin de lyon,
ses yeulx estoient grans et resplendissans, et ne
resembloit pas 1'un a 1'autre. Car Tun estoit noir et
Tautre vair. Ses dens estoient trop agues et sa re-
gardence estoit comme du lyon. Et combien que sa
sestature feust petite, non pour quant aux signes qui se
demonstroient, sembloit il bien que Alixandre devoit
estre.
How Aristotle
taught him the 7
arts.
He surpasses his
companions.
COMMENT ARISTOTE APRENT A ALIXANDRE LES SEPT ARS.
Apres, il fu de aage pour mectre a 1'escolle. Le
roy Philippe lui fist mectre et plusieurs autres enffans
gentilzhommes avec lui, lequel enffant les surmontoit
tous de toutes choses en lettres et en paroles. Et aussi
fait il en ysnelette et en vigueur. Dont il advint,
i MS. deux.
ALEXANDER LEARNS TO BEAR ARMS. 211
quant il eut xii ans, il fit si aprins des sept ars par
Aristote, le ineilleur qui oncques feust, que il ne
treuvoit homme qui tant en seust comme il faisoit.
Quant Alixandre ot xii ans accomplis, on lui bailla ^J^* 8 * 01
escuiers sages et congnoissans, qui avoient este par le
pais et par les terres, et avoient use toute leur vie les
armes. Et ceux 1'aprindrent et enseignerent si bien de
toutes choses qui aux armes appartenoient, que il en he is taught to
. , wield arms.
toutes choses seurmontoit ses compaignons. Quant le
rci Philippe congnut la grant vigueur qui estoit en luy,
si lui dist : "Filz Alixandre, je ayme moult la ysnellete Philip's remark.
de ton corps et le soutil engin de ton courage. Mais
tristre suis que ta semblance ne resemble a lamienne." 1
Quant ce ouy la royne Olimpias, si se doubta moult, et oiympias says to
appella Nectanebuz, et lui dit :]
" Master on molde * what may mee befall 1 [FoL 17.]
Of "Philip sore am I aferd for his fell speeche, 1036
For hee sayed too my soonne in ayght of myne yie, "Philip complains
TT , . , , , . . , that Alexander is
Hee was purlich payed * of his prise werkes, n ot like Mm." '
But hee chaunged his chere * & too J>e chylde sayed,
' That ]?ow ne art lyke mee, lude mee lykes full yll ; '
Therfore my mynde & my moode is marred 2 too care,
For his woorde am I wrou^/it wofull in hert." 1042
" Queene," qwoth Nectanabus [care J?ou no more, 3 ] "Nevermind
For the sake of thy soonne [J?at schal saue be at your son win help
nede.'"]
The Lude looked on-loft late on an eeue, 1045
And on a starre too stare hee stynt full long, De eve >
Nectanabus looks
Hee hoped to haue there of his heites desyres ; on tne stars '
Too catche sum cunnyng hee kest up his yie. 1048
When Alisaunder jjat sawe hee sayed full soone,
" Father, wherfore is J>at farly too tell,
1 M S. moye. 2 Ms mar i e d, with r above i.
3 Two half-lines are here lost, and are supplied from conjecture;
blank spaces are left for them in the MS.
14
212
NECTANABUS GAZES ON THE STARS.
Alexander asks
him to point out
his favourite
star.
He says he must
wait till
midnight.
[Fol. 17 &.]
He asks if he
knows his own
fate.
"Yes; my son
will kill me."
That thow lookest on-loft * so long at Jus tyme ? "
" Soonne," sayed fe segge * "in syght I beholde
A brem sterre & a \)ryght ' that mee best lykes." 1053
" Leeue l fader," quoth J>e freke "fonde I, mee tell,
The sterre fat yee staren on * sticketh it in heuin ? "
" Yea, forsoothe, deare soonne " sayed hee than,
" It is in heuin full hy beholde who-so myghk." 1057
" And may yee, syr," sayed f e chylde " by sum maner
wise,
Schowe mee schortly in shape fat schynyng sterre 1"
" Yea, wooste f ou see, my soonne in certeyn tymes,
The inkest howre of Jw's ny^/it * ny by my syde,
Withoute fe citie," he sayed "in certeyn places, 1062
So, lo ! myghtst f ou see * fat seemely sterre ! "
" That ilk for to see " * hee sayed, " I desyre,
And I shall wend thee wit/i when fee well lykes.
But canst foil by any craft * kenne mee now 1066
What death dry f ou shalt by destinie shape ? "
" Yea," soonne, sayed hee f o "in certein I knowe,
That I shall drye f e death in dreedefull dedes stoundes,
By encheson of my chylde * such chaunce shall fall ;
But whan, wott I not well * ne in what place." 1071
Nectanabus goes
down beside a
ditch.
Nectanabus in bat nya/it * as hym neede
Passeth forthe pnuely f e Paleis without, 2
Hee gooth downe by fe dyche fat deepe was of
grounde, 1074
Euyll it is of syght the walles besyde.
[" Sone," sayde Nectanabus * " see ^ond )>e sterres,] 3
1077
He points out the JoyfullJupiter Myrthfull Mercurie,
The leame of his lyght ' lykes well my hert ! "
So hee stynted fat stounde . & styrred no foote,
Hee pored on fe planetes * pass ere hee woolde.
1080
1 MS. Leeue, with fe above ue.
2 Here follows a half-line out of place, " the walles besyde,"
line " Euyll it is of syght " Icing left incomplete.
3 A line is here lost.
ALEXANDER DROWNS HIM IN A DITCH. 213
Hee braides too be bank of be brode water, Alexander pushes
him into the
By pe shoulderes hym tooke & shift hym in myddes, ditch.
With a wrathfull wyll J>ese woordes hee sayed :
"Wretched worldly wyght why wylst pou knowe
The priuitie of planetes or precious starres, 1085
Syn pou art erthly thyself 1 in an yll tyme
Kaughtst pou in pat craft cmmyng of happes
Let them bat in heuin bee knowe hy thynge* : 1088 "Oniygoas
should know
That lore longes too Godde & too no lud eles, heavenly things.'
Thow pat worldly art wraught thy wytt J>ou bisett
On euery erthly thyng & ern J?ou nomore ! "
The segge sayed this sawe sounk or hee wer, 1092
"Truthe haue I bee tolde in tymes ypassed" i have always
told you the
And with pat sawe pe soule fro pe seg hee partes. truth."
Alisaunder anonne ryght armed in hert,
Hee did hym downe too be dyche as hee no dreede Alexander takes
him out dead.
had ; 1096
Hee sprainde in a sprite & spradde it aboute,
[And cau^t vp pe cors and cayres to pe queene.] !
" Saye mee, seemely sunne, what pou bryngst 1 " [Foi.is.]
" Ich haue broght," quoth pe burn * " a ded body here,
That noble Nectanabus * too name was hote." 1101
"Sunne," sayed pat seemelich "my sorowe is pe more !"
*' It is thy foule fowlye * pat this fare wrought, Alexander
reproves
Yowr caremll conscience yee casten so large, oiympias.
That yee wern no wyght ' but wyrch as yee lyst." 1105
The Queene quoth -nought againe but qm'ckly & soone she cannot reply.
Too burye pat burn pe beurd gan heate.
Of this lyueles lud ne lyst mee tell, 1108
Of hym I cease my sawe & seche too more.
Ther was a Prince full price of powre y-holde,
Keeper of Cappadoce that Kyng Philip aught.
A huge horsse & a hy hee had that tyme, 1112 A HOBSS.
The moste seemely in sy#7it pat euer seg wyst.
1 A line is here lost, and supplied from conjecture.
214
DESCRIPTION OF BUCEPHALUS.
There was a
horse that fed on
men.
He was kept
chained up.
Messengers took
him to Philip as a
present
Philip has a cave
built for him.
[Pol. 18 &.]
Traitors were
thrown to him to
eat.
Philip dreams,
that whoever
tames the horse
will be king of
Macedon.
Hee bore a liedde as a bole y-brested to-ryght,
And had hard on his hedde homes y-grow,
Menne wern his meate that hee moste looued ; 1116
for as many as hee myy/it murdre hee woolde.
Hee was byglich ybownde * on bothe twoo halues,
Bothe his chaul & his chynne \vith chaynes of yren
Many locks wer laft his leggs aboute, 1120
That hee nas loose in no lime hides to greeue,
To byte, ne to braundise ne to break no wows.
for hee so myghty was made in all maner thyngs,
Of such a body as hee bore fe blonke so sterne, 1124
Was neuer steede in no stede fat stynt upon erth.
Intoo meery Macedoine f e messengers f ei camrae,
~Fiom what kith f ei camme cofly they tolde,
Let greete hym with God * & goode wyll, 1 1128
And their presaunt of price proffred hym tyll.
Hee had blyss of fat beaste & blythely hym thanks.
[A caue he comanded to coynt men inouj,] 2
Dupe 3 as a dunioun * dyked in erth, 1132
All about bygge with barrs of yern.
Therfore f e Kyng had cast too keepe fat steede,
In fat caue craftely * enclosed with gynne.
For if a trayter wer y-take in tyme therafter, 1136
Or any thriftles theefe for thyngs accused,
They shoolde bee cast in fat caue too fat kene blonk,
And bee deuoured with doole as f e doome woolde.
Anon as euer fe nyght nyied on erth, 1140
Philip farde too bedde & fell on a sleepe.
Of a myghtfull Godde * hee mett fat tyme,
That on his bedsyde satt & JMS sawe tolde
" Who prickes 4 on a playne feelde f e perelous beaste,
Hee shall raigne as a ryng ryall & noble, 1145
1 This line occurs in the MS. two lines higher up, clearly out
of place.
2 A line is here again lost, and supplied from conjecture.
3 MS. Dupe, with ee above u.
4 MS. Tho pricked, which is unintelligible.
ALEXANDER UNBINDS BUCEPHALUS.
And bee Kyng of thy kith Knyghtes too leade,
When J>ou art doone & dedde & thy daye endes."
215
I
When Alisaunder was of age as I shall tell, 1148
Of full fifteene yere faren too pe end,
Hee was hardye & hende * happes to fond,
And such wys of his witt in worldly thynges ;
Lered on letrure was pe lud then, 1152
And of latin pe lore lellich hee wyst.
In a tyme betyd * as I tell after,
That many menne of Attenes wit?i> myckle oofer
peeple,
Did pern forthe on a day * by pe dupe l caue, 1156
There pe steede in stoode strayned in bonder.
They sawe lygge in theyr looke * legges & armes,
Fayre handes & feete freaten too the bonne,
Of menne pat myslych wer murdred therm, 1160
By iustes 2 unioyfull iugged too death.
When Alisaunder was ware of pe wylde bfeaste],
That was of body so bolde * bremlych yshaped,
Too hym hee heelde forthe "his hand ; pe horss it
awaytes. 1164
Hee layed pe neck oute along & lycked his hande*,
And sythe hee foldes his feete & falles too pe> grounde,
And abowed [to] pe burn on his best wyse.
When Alisaunder so sawe in his syght there, 1168
How pe, steede was styll & no stryfe made,
Bale thought fat burn too bynde pat steede,
That so meeke was of moode & made no noyes.
Hee unclosed pe caue unclainte pe barres, 1172
And straihte into pe stede stroked hym fayre.
Hee raught forthe hw right hand & his rigge frotw*,
And coies hym as he kan wzt/i his clene handes.
jpan hee loses his lockes his legges unbyndes, 1176
1 MS. Deepe, with u above ee ; see 1. 1132.
2 Indistinct and uncertain.
Alexander was
now 15.
He knew Latin.
Some Athenians
see the horse
lying amid men's
bones.
[Fol J9.J
The horse licks
Alexander's
hands.
He enters the
cave.
He unfastens the
steed's bonds,
216
AI-KXAXDKR TAMES BUCEPHALUS.
and it is as
meek as a lamb.
He rides him
about.
Philip is
astonished,
[Pol. 19 b.]
and tells his son
his dream.
That hoc nas fast in no foote * bifore ne bihynde.
Therof f e blonk was blythe & blainte no furre l
But meeke was of maneres withou.t& mischaunce. 3
Was nere lambe in no land lower of chere, 1180
No hownde to his hous-lorde 3 * so hende to queme,
J)at was leuer to lyke f e lude fat hym aught,
])en was f e blonk to f e beurn fat hym bistint.
])an wendes fis weih fe caue withoute, 1184
And f e horss with his hand hendely bringe*.
Soone hee leapes on-loft & lete hym worthe, 4
To fare 5 as hym lyst faine * in feelde or in towne.
The steede strauht on his gate & stired hym under,
And wrought no wod res but his waye holdes. 1189
When sire "Philip gan see f e seg so too ryde,
And his blonk behelde abated of wrath,
Of f e michel meekenes marueil hee had, 11 92
That f e steede so stern stynt of his fare.
He sayde, " Sonne Alisaunder of f is same chaunce
Iche had mynde in my slepe * by metyng fownde.
A greate glisiande God ' grathly mee tolde, 1196
That f ou shalt raigne when I rotte 6 on my ryche
londes."
" Faf er," sayde f e freke " if f ou foreknowes
That I shall leade thy landes * when thy life endor,
Let mee be proued as Prince in pres where I wend,
And fende mee finliche well to fonde my strength."
Philip goea to
Byzantium.
Of this bounden beaste blynne [we f e] speche,
Of King Philip fe keene karp wee now. 1203
When Philip had with his folke faren on Greece,
And taken tresure ynough in townes full riche,
Hee hurd tell of a towne thriftily walled,
1 An i above the u. 2 che above unce. 3 untes above us.
4 MS. worche, with t above c. s An \ above and between a and r.
6 MS. rotte, with royte above it, which may have been miswritten
for rotye in the older copy.
DESCRIPTION OP BYZANTIUM.
217
A citie sett by peece with full siker wardes,
Byzaunce fe bolde sted was fe borowe liote ; 1208
None better hym aboute fat any beurn wyst.
It was chosen for cheefe to cheftaren in,
And many merchauntes f er-in ' fat much goode aught.
All fe Lordes of fe lond * fat large was founde, 1212
Helde it hur cheefe holde when happe camrae of
warre.
Many menne of f e easte of merchauntes ynow,
Wer brought to f e borowe too biggen & sell.
No defaute nas founde in fat faire place, 1216
On euery syde f e sea of-souhte ! the walles.
Pausanias a pm King none prester ifounde,
While hym lasted his lyfe on his lond riche,
Let build fe borowe too byde therin, 1220
When hee was ferkid with fyght of his fone grimme.
That bolde borou Byzance fat buyld was to-rihtz^,
Was called syn in fat coste Constantinoble 2 ,
Of Roome a riche Emperour fat reigned sythe, 1224
Constantine hee was cleped a Kny^t well alosed,
The sonne of saint Elaine f e seemelich Ladie,
That weihes 3 worshipen yet * for hur werk hende,
A neew name too fat borowe hee named fan, 1228
And called it Constantinople fat knowen is wyde.
For fat stalworthe sted so strong was founded,
Philip 4 hoped fat holde with his help to wynne,
For too keepe in that kith cumlich & riche 1232
All hi* tresour ytryed for, in tresoun or gyle,
That none robbed f e rink of f ese riche thyngos.
Philip with his ferefull folke fast hym arayes,
For too prouen his pride at fe pns borowe. 1236
Many men from
the East bought
and sold there.
Pausanias built it.
[Fol.20.]
It was afterwards
called Constan-
tinople,
from Constantino
son of Helen.
Since it was so
strong, Philip
wanted it
to keep his
treasures in.
1 MS. of souhte, with f above the s, and also saftie above the
latter part of souhte.
3 MS. Constantinople, with b above the p ; see Werwolf, 1. 1425.
3 MS. wightes, with weihes (marked] above it.
MS. For Ph. ; but we must omit this second For.
218
PHILIP ATTACKS BYZANTIUM.
Forthe rydes f e Kyng vriiJi his route huge,
Philip besieges it. And hath f e citie besett on sydes aboute ;
On floode & on faire lond "his folke gan hee sett, 1239
3if hee myght derie vrii/i dint fat dereworthe place.
This seg biseeged so * f e citie full long,
With all f e maine f t hee myght made his assautes,
But all J>e ludes fat hee ladde for loue ne for aie, 1
No myght apeire fe place of a peny brede. 1244
For fat freelich freke ' as I fore tolde,
The kid Knight Pausanias fat King was of Spart,
That borowe in his best state let build so strong,
That all f e wightes in f e worlde it wynne ne myght,
But }if fode lacked too ludes within. 1249
His men could
not take it.
It was too strong
for them.
[The next page is "blank, and the rest is wanting.']
%* For an account of the continuation of the story, see
the note at the end of the " Notes to Alisaunder," and consult
the Preface.
MS. awe, with aie above it.
219
NOTES TO WILLIAM OF PALERNE."
P. 1. The first quire of the MS. consisted of 12 folios, or 6 pairs of
'leaves. Of these the three outer pairs have been slit up the back, which
has occasioned the loss of the first three leaves, and of the tenth, which
was once joined on to the third. The eleventh and twelfth are fastened in
merely by their edges. The part omitted by the loss of fol. 10 corresponds
to 144 lines of the French text, whilst the first three missing leaves corre-
spond only to 186 lines of the same. This is to be accounted for, most pro-
bably, by the fact that the English translator did very much as he
pleased, in some places following his original closely, in others condens-
ing the story, and in others again giving us descriptions and explanations
entirely, as it would appear, of his own invention. See note to 1. 3.
P. 2. Of the later French prose version of the story a short specimen
may suffice, as it is obviously inferior to the old version in rime.
The following corresponds to 11. 18 32 on pages 1 and 2 :
" Et nous signifie Ihistoire au premier liure que iadis fut vn Roy de
1 Cecille due de Calabre & seigneur de la pouille nomine Ebron riche / puis-
sant / craint & redoute sur tous princes de son temps / tellement que
roy : Prince : ne autre neust ose sur luy entrependre ne guerroyer.
Dequoy aduerty Lempereur de Grece luy donna a femme & espouse sa
fille : tant belle sage / gente & plaine de vertus : & deuote enuers dieu
que rien plus. Nommee estoit Felixe plaine de toute felicite. Laqwelle a
cause de son bon bruict & religion augmentoit & accroissoit merueil-
leusement la renowmee du roy Ebron son mary tant que toutes gens
prenoieut plaisir a les voir & acquerir leur beneuolence." From the
Paris edition, printed by N. Bonfons.
A considerable portion of the commencement of the story is repeated
in the English version near the end (11. 4624 4806) where we
find Embrons, Gloriande, and Acelone named Ebrouns, Gloriauns, and
Achillones. A perusal of this repetition of the story gives us a very fair
idea of the way in which the English translator must have begun his
poem. Ebrouns died soon after the affair with the Werwolf, and his
brother too (I suppose), for he is never again spoken of as alive. Queen
Felice lived to a good old age, ending her days in happiness and peace.
The Werwolf turns out to be the Prince Alphouns or Alphonse, eldest son
of the king of Spain.
P. 4, 1. 115. Far was the local name of the Strait of Messina, called
220 NOTES (PAGES 6 9).
Faro di Messina, or Far de Meschims ; thus we read of " fluvium mag-
num, qui dicitur Le Far de Mesclrines " in Benedict of Peterborough (ed^
Stubbs, 1867), vol. 2, p. 125 ; and again, at p. 138 of the same work, we
find the following. " Et est notandum quod in fluvio illo del Far de-
Meschines sunt ilia duo pericula maris maxima, scilicet Silla et Caribdis.
Quarum una, Silla, est ad introitum del Farprope la Baignare, et altera,
scilicet Caribdis, est prope exitum del Far" Two formidable perils
these, for the Werwolf to encounter on his way ; but he seems to have
safely avoided them !
P. 6, 1. 170. The exact distance of this forest from Rome is afterwards
stated to be seven miles. See 1. 4679.
L. 1. (English text). The first two extant lines of the poem represent
the concluding phrase of the extract from the French que tot li plaist Ce
que la beste de luifait. The next line in the French text is, Uns vachiers
qui vaches gardoit, &c.
3 35. These thirty-three lines are represented in the French text by
only seven short lines, which run thus :
Uns vachiers qui vaches gardoit,
qui en cele forest manoit,
el bois estoit avoec sa proie,
.i. chien tenoit en sa coroie,
de pasture la nuit repaire ;
li chiens senti lenfant et flaire,
forment abaie, et cil le hue, &c.
Hence it is clear that the excellent lines, 20 31, are original ; and they
shew that our own author was a man of very considerable poetical power.
So again, the idea in 1. 59
"appeles and alle Binges J>at childern after wilnen,"
is entirely his own, and proves that he knew how to add a graceful touch
to the poem he copied from.
P. 7, 1. 19. towawe was explained by Sir F. Madden as meaning to the
wall; but I fancy it is but one word. See To-wawe in the Glossary.
P. 9, 11. 8093. Having shewn (note to 1. 3) how the translator has
there written 33 lines where his original had but 7, it seems right to give
an extract shewing, on the other hand, that he has here only 14 lines
where his original has 26, some of them being very curious.
" or oies
del leu qui estoit repairies
de la viande quala enquerre
par les vilains et par la terre ;
avoec lenfant tant en avoit
que a grant paine laportoit.
et quant lenfant na retrouve,
onques mis lion, de mere ne,
ne vist a beste tel duel faire,
qui li oist uller et braire,
et les pies ensamble detordre,
NOTES (PAGES 9, 10). 221
et la terre engouler et mordre,
esrachier lerbe et esgrater,
et Boi couchier et relever ;
et comme il socit et confont,
et querre aval et querre amont,
et les larmes fondre des ex,
bien peust dire, si grans dex
ne fu par nule beste fais.
lors ert saillis ens el markais,
si met a la terre le nes,
tout si com lenfes ert ales
desi ou le mist li vilains.
le suit li leus de rage plains ;
tant la sui a esperon,
que venus est a la maison."
P. 9, 1. 80. The letter I, like r, is one that sometimes shifts its place
in a word. As we find brid for bird, so we find wordle for worlde ; and
-wolnk may be intentionally put for wlonk. Cf. carfti for crafti, 1. 3221.
83. no neij = non ei], i. e. no egg. So thi narmes for thin annes, thy
-arms, in 1. 666.
84. grinne]*. The MS. has ginne]). Sir F. Madden's note is " A verb
is wanting after ginneth. We may, probably, supply it by ' so balfully
he ginneth greue,' or by some similar word." But this rather spoils the
rhythm of the line. Mr Morris says " it seems probable that ginne]) =
howl, utter, send out, from AS. ginan, to open, yawn" This is some-
what farfetched. It is simpler to suppose that it is rniswritten for
.grinne}, which is not an inappropriate word, and is familiar to us from
the expression in the Psalms to grin like a dog, i. e. to grin with rage
and spite. But it is still more to the point to observe that there is, as it
were, some authority for the grinning of werwolves, if we compare with
the text the following quotation " Jjai grennede for gladschipe euchan
toward o'Ser, as wode wulues J>et fainen of hare praie." Morris : Early
English Homilies, p. 277 (E. E. T. S. to be published shortly). Cf. also
"The Lyon did both gape and gren." Bp. Percy's Folio MS. Carle of
Carlile, 213.
P. 10, 1. 121. Between this line and the next, the translator has missed
a portion of the original, viz. the lines following :
" de mult de gens estoit loee ;
de son signer avoit .i. fil,
biau damoisel, franc et gentil ;
Brandins ot non, ce dist lescris."
" She was praised by many people. She had by her lord one son, a
fine lad, frank and gentle ; he bore the name of Brandins [or Braundins],
as says the writing." The name of Brandins being so very like Brande,
the translator may easily have lost his place, and omitted the passage
unintentionally. Braundins is mentioned afterwards, as the reader will
find.
222 NOTES (PAGES n ie).
136. a noynemcnt = an oynement, i.e. an ointment, unguent. Cf. note
to 1. 83. See 1. 139.
141. " All the form of man so amiss bad she shaped (transformed).'*
Morris ; note to the line in " Specimens of Early English."
143, 144. " But truly he never after possessed any other resemblance
that belongs to human nature, but (was) a wild werwolf." The con-
struction is involved.
P. 11, 11. 156 160. Here the translator, finding a tendency to re-
petition in his original, cuts matters short, omitting how the werwolf
lived two years in Apulia, and grew fierce and big and strong ; and how,
hearing of the treachery of King Embrouns' brother, he resolved to steal
away William in the manner already described. It is needless to say
that 11. 161 169 are wholly interpolated.
P. 12. 1. 206. There is something amiss with this line; it hardly
makes sense as it stands. In 1. 35 the phrase is " to hold to baie ; " in
1. 46 it is " to hold at a baye." So here, if one may be permitted to
change " & " into " at," we have,
to haue bruttenet Jjat bor at ]?e abaie se]?])en,
i.e. " to have afterwards destroyed the boar, (when held) at bay."
P. 14, 1. 251. In the original, William very properly grounds his re-
fusal on the fact that he does not know who the emperor is, or what he
wants to do.
" non ferai, sire, et por coi,
car je ne sai que vos voles,
qui vos estes, ne que queres ;
ne se voles riens, se bien non,
ja ne me face Dix pardon ! "
261. " Read wend" and again elsewhere, in 1. 5185. This elision of
a final d in such words as hond, lond, sheld. held, &c. is by no means un-
common in ancient poetry, and arises simply from pronunciation." M.
We find wend in 1. 229.
267 272. Hereabouts the translator condenses his original with
great judgment. The " churl's " grumbling, as there given, is not very
interesting.
P. 15, 11. 293295. The French merely says,
" en ceste forest le trouvai,
asses pres dont nous somes ore."
The man who could turn this prosaic statement into
"how he him fond in Jjat forest jjere fast bi-side,
clothed in comly closing 'for any Jcinges sone,
vnder an holw ok ' tyurth help of his dogge "
had certainly both poetic power and a lively imagination. Indeed, the
translation is very superior to the original, as far as I have compared the
two It should be observed that, immediately after writing the two linea
printed above in italics, the translator boldly omits about 16 lines of the
cowherd's rather prosy story.
P. 16, 1. 325. Mr Morris explains/orders by making it equivalent to
NOTES (PAGES 16 19).
223
fayre dedes, kind actions. That this is incorrect appears from the fourth
line on fol. 81 (1. 5182),
" of al ]?e faire fordede ' jjat he hade for hem wrou^t."
The expression "fair fair deed " would be unmeaning tautology. See
the glossary.
329 343. The translator here follows the original pretty closely,
giving, however, rather the sense than the exact words.
P. 17, 1. 347. " This is not an error of the scribe, as at first supposed,
but formed by the same analogy, as alizt for alighted, comfort for comfort-
ed, gerde for girded, &c. It occurs often in the Wycliffite versions of the
Bible." M. The very word comaund ( commanded) occurs in 11.
2557 and 2564 of the alliterative Romance on the Destruction of Troy.
P. 17, 1. 360 365. Compare the original text
" Salues inoi Huet le nain,
et Hugenet et Aubelot,
et Martinet le fil Heugot,
et Akarin et Crestien,
et Thumassin le fil Paien,
et tos mes autres compaignons ;" &c.
In 1. 362, Sir F. Madden printed dwery, but he says, " This word is
doubtful in the MS. and may either be read owery (as printed by Harts-
horne) or dvwrth. It seems to be intended to represent the F. dru, drue,
B. Bret, drew, drud, signifying a loved friend or companion. But if the
final letter be supposed to take the place of g, it may then mean dwarf,
from S. dwerg.""
The excellent suggestion at the end of this notice of the word is now
seen to be perfectly right ; for dwerth (dwarf) is simply the translation
of le nain, Lat. nanus ; and just as dwerlp is written for dwerg, so our
author continually writes Jmr]> for lpur$ through.
For kinnesman in 1. 365, I should propose to read Thomasin or
Thomasyn. It would improve the alliteration , of which there is none in
the line as it stands.
P. 18, 1. 379. She would have slain herself by refusing food, according
to the French text.
" jamais sa bouche ne mangast,
se cil ne la reconfortast."
388, 389. These "boars and bears, many horse loads, harts and hinds,
and many other beasts " have all grown out of four boars only, like Fal-
etaff's " men in buckram." The French merely says,
de iiij senglers quorent pris.
403. held = eld, age. Compare
et meisme de tel aage
com GmlMames pooit bien estre.
P. 19, 1. 423. The translator here misses a very curious statement,
not perhaps understanding the allusion. Nor do I.
de riches dras batus a or,
coin sil fust fix roi Alphinor,
224 NOTES (PAGES 19 28).
qui sire et rois est de hongrie,
qui si est de tos biens plentive ;
ne adonques a icel tans
navoit mie plus de . iiii . ans
et norri puis . vii . ans tos plains.
Here we not only learn, once more, that William was about 11 years old
when arriving at the emperor's court (see p. 2, 1. 35, and p. 15, 1. 296),
but we are told that the child was found in rich apparel adorned with
beaten gold, as if he had been son to the king Alphinor, who is lord and
king of Hungary, (and) who is so abundantly possessed of wealth.
429 432. The French text has
" li damoisiax," fait lemperere,
" je cuit, par le baron saint Pere,
quil est de mult tres haute gens ;
car mult par est et biax, et gens," &c.
P. 23, 1. 433. The French text continues thus :
et souspirer et baaillier,
et refroidier et reschaufer,
muer color et tressuer,
et trambler tot en itel guiwe,
comine se fievre mestoit prise, &c.
P. 24, 1. 455. Compare
dont ai je tort qui en blasmoie
mon cuer.
460. The French text throws no light on the true reading. The am
in the MS. is indistinct. Sir F. Madden suggested " nad J)ei ben, i may
boute bale," &c., which I have adopted, with the slight change of may
into mijt.
470. We should have expected to find brouner rather than broun.
472. There seems something wrong here. I had proposed to read
" to the harde asente," i. e. assent to the infliction. Sir F. Madden
considers that the introduction of to offends the ear, and proposes,
but with diffidence, " the hardere asente," i. e. assent with difficulty.
The French does not help one, being much more concise in this pas-
sage.
P. 25. After 1. 500 we should expect some such line as,
" So heried ouer al and so hey} holden."
P. 28, 1. 576. The catchwords are written, as usual, at the bottom of
the last page of each quire.
584. The MS. has " he kosin ful nere," instead of " here kosin."
This is due to the omission of the small flourish which is used as a con-
traction for er. In the same way we find " fide " instead of " Jjidere "
in 1. 47, and elsewhere.
592. For Idlest, Sir F. Madden has leuest. The two words would be
exceedingly alike, for the scribe makes his Ts so short that they are very
little longer than the first stroke of a u. But over the second downstroke
(which is a little shorter than the first) a long fine stroke can be detected,
NOTES (PAGES 28 34). 225
which is his method of dotting an i. Leuest means most dearly, and
leliest is most leally, so that the sense is much the same.
600. The MS. has 1. 601 before 600, but the emendation so obvi-
ously assists the sense, that it hardly requires apology.
P. 29, 1. 611. For this line and the preceding the MS. has
" & ofter J?an ix. times hit take]? me a-daye,
& ten times on J>e ni^t nou^t ones lesse."
I have taken the considerable liberty of changing the places of nine and
ten, because the alliteration of both lines is thereby improved. The ten is
as well suited to the chief-letter in talce]>, as nine is to the initials
of ni$t and nouyt. I do not suppose that any one will quarrel with the
alteration of the sense. When we consider that these numbers were
selected for no other reason than to secure alliteration it must be right to
place them where they best fulfil that object.
625. For " cosynes " read " cosyne." M. This suggestion is sup-
ported by 11. 594 and 602. But there is no harm in retaining cosynes,
as it is used to denote a female cousin, as in Lancelot of the Laik, 11. 1185,
1270, 2287, and 2802.
P. 30, 1. 645. I suspect that " answeres " ought to have been " an-
swered." Cf. note to 1. 1076.
649. The MS. has merely " after Jjrowe," which makes the line halt.
P. 31, 1. 692. The MS. having here the letters " ihu " it is difficult to
write the word otherwise than " ihesu." Otherwise the h is a cor-
ruption of the Greek H or e, so that " iesu " would be a truer form. On the
contraction IHC for IHCOYC, out of which I.H.S. has been made (the mark
of contraction being at the same time turned into a small cross), see
Hone's Ancient Mysteries Described, p. 282.
698. The c and t being much alike, Metynt may be meant for Metync,
but Metyng is better spelling ; see 1. 706.
P. 32, 11. 712, 713. The construction is " For there is no lord in
any land, enjoying life no emperor nor renowned king known to be so
rich that he is not of sufficiently low birth to wed that seemly lady."
723. The word houes nowhere occurs again in the poem, the usual
form being bihoues. The alliteration also points out that the initial bi
is really required.
P. 33, 1. 753. "Read, tok him til a sete." M. But I am not sure
that this ingenious emendation is altogether required ; tid may be here,
as elsewhere, another spelling of tit = soon, quickly.
756. Here " For J>at" seems to mean " for whom" See 1. 769.
771. The MS. seems to have " chanber" in 685 and here ; but it is
probably a mere slip for " chauber," the spelling adopted in 11. 755 and 769.
P. 34, 1. 788. " This is not so much an error as an abbreviation be-
fore an infinitive, which has occurred to me often in other MSS. It
should properly be '/or to slake.' Bryant places this, very unnecessarily,
among the list of provincialisms." M. Forto is very common in this
MS. See 1. 783 just above. Another form is forte, which occurs in Piers
Plowman, Text A. vii. 277.
15
226 NOTES (PAGES 34 46).
793. Sir P. Madden prints " as a wo werjj wei^h," with a reference to
the common phrase " wo worth." The MS. may also be read " wo wery "
= wo-weary, weary with wo. The word " worj) " is spelt elsewhere in
the MS. with an o.
799. wher, whether.
804. Go we is a form of invitation. Of. " go we dyne, go we " in Piers
Plowman; A. prol. 105. It occurs again in 1. 1184.
P. 35, 1. 824. " to glade with uch gome," i. e. to gladden each man
with. See note to 1. 1825.
843. J?a is put for \at frequently in the present poem. See 11. 765
and 903.
P. 36, 1. 862. whiles, wiles. So also we find where for were.
P. 37, 1. 883. " So completely was that word wound in to his heart.'*
But this is rather a forced phrase, and it would have been quite as well
if the scribe had written
so witerly was Jjat wi^h wounded to herte,
i. e. so completely was that man wounded to the heart.
909. Repeated, nearly, from 1. 433.
P. 38, 1. 920. Read " ther ne schal wizth." M. I copy "no wi3th "
from 1. 786.
P. 39, 1. 964. salerne. " The city of Salerno was famous from very
early times for its university and school of medicine, which was pro-
tected and flourished most under the Norman princes." English Cyclo-
pedia. Cf. Morte Arthure, ed. Perry, 1. 4312.
P. 41,1. 1021. " There is some error here, apparently, in the MS." M.
If hete is to stand, it may mean to bid, from the A.S. hatan, to bid, pro-
mise. Then the line means "and to bid her then to play as she pleased
in the meanwhile." Here = her. Cf. 1. 1716.
1028. For antresse we should expect to find " aunteres."
P. 42, 1. 1069. " Ouer gart gret ost. Gart appears here to be an
error of the scribe, and should be omitted." M. Not so ; over-gart
means excessively. See Stratmann.
1075. tyding seems to be the plural form. See 1. 1134, and note to 1.
4877.
1076. Read "a-greued." M. It is worth noting that s is not unfre-
quently written for d. In " Pierce the Ploughmans Crede," 1. 6, patres
is written for paired.
P. 43, 1. 1093. So, too, e is often written for o ; we should expect to
find onys in this line, for in alliterative lines the vowels used as rime-
letters are generally different ones. is written for e in 1. 818.
P. 44, 1. 1127. In a strong light, the word " )>ider " can be traced as
having occupied the apparently blank space. It was probably erased
as having been repeated by mistake. Hence, there is no word to be
supplied here.
P. 45, 1. 1163. " Jje ferst batayle" means "the first battalion or com-
pany." Cf. 1. 1152.
P. 46, 1. 1190. fresly =fersly, fiercely. This shifting of the letter r
NOTES (PAGES 46 5s). 227
may have been intentional. See " The Romans of Partenay ; " ed. Skeat,
1866 ; preface, p. xvi. Cf. note to 1. 80.
1196. "Read 'grettest;' and also in 1. 1365. The is similarly
elided from ' menskfullest,' in 1. 1435." M.
1211. The word so is required for the alliteration, and it improves
the sense. What so = howsoever, and occurs elsewhere.
P. 47, 1. 1222. " For te read to." M. But perhaps te may stand. See
notes to 1. 788 and 1093.
1226. In the " Romans of Partenay,"/br is miswritten for fro over
and over again. See note to 1. 1190.
P. 48, 1. 1280. The initial vn- belongs to loth words, i.e. tmwounded
or mtaken.
P. 49, 1. 1299. dede depe, caused to be summoned. Cf. dedefecche in
1. 1303.
1307. We must read hem, not he. The scribe probably forgot to
make the stroke over the e.
P. 50, 11. 1323-4. I have ventured to transpose these lines, as they are
otherwise devoid of sense. The MS. has
" wij) alle worchipe & wele so was he sone
to burye him as out to be swiche a burne nobul ; "
but it is clear that " so was he sone " ( = so was he soon buried) must
end the sentence.
1350. The sense seems to require the insertion of be or ben " nadde
be fe socour of o seg," &c. Cf. 1. 1358.
P. 51, 1. 1358. forsake, deny. Cf. Gerrn. versagen.
P. 52, 1. 1401. The second he may be miswritten for hire or here, i. e.
her. Read " to come, here granted." Cf. note to 1. 584.
1415. but thei thre one, except they three only.
P. 53, 1. 1425. "And who, by descent, was then keeper of Constanti-
nople." But the relative is omitted, probably by an intentional idiom.
It may be observed here, that it appears by the sequel that the Em-
peror of Greece was the father of the Queen of Palermo, and William's
grandfather. Also, the emperor's son was called Partendo or Partenedon,
and was, of course, William's uncle.
1427. The ending -and in grethand is doubtless a mere mistake, due
to the word glimerand just before.
P. 54, 1. 1478. Diting is simply miswritten for tiding. Such an in-
version of letters is occasionally found ; thus, in the Romance of Par-
thenay, aduertise is written for aduersite (adversity) more than once.
1490. mened of, bemoaned by ; so in 11. 1491, 1492, we find biloued
wty meaning beloved by.
P. 55, 1. 1504. We have had this line before. See 1. 246.
1516. her sche sese mty, ere she might cease.
P. 57, 1. 1576. This line has occurred before. See 1. 1033.
P. 58, 1. 1627. Compare,
" In middes on a mountayne at midmorwe tyde
Was piht vp a pauilon a proud for jje nones,
15*
228 NOTES (PAGES 59 71).
And ten jjousend of tentes I-tilled besydes," &c.
Piers Plowman, Text A. ii. 42.
"Tentes and pauilons streght and pight freshly."
Romans of Partenay, 869.
P. 59, 1. 1638. hese, ease. Cf. her, ere, 1. 1516 ; and hende, end, 1
1369.
1640. Mornyng out mesure, mourning without measure.
1644. The line would sound better, if born and was were to change
places, as in
" Mai bonne Ipat Tie born was to bodi or to soule."
Piers Plowman, A. i. 60.
1654. Both alliteration and sense require some such word as ivist,
which I have inserted.
1662. tent, intent, purpose, design. See Tent in Halli well's Dic-
tionary.
1664. profiles loue. This might seern to mean "for love of the pro-
phet." But this would be quite out of place, and, in fact, the line ex-
presses the same idea as 1. 3251 does.
P. 60, 1. 1676. The negative prefix in vnperceyued affects all the words
following it in the same line. Cf. note to 1. 1280.
1686. For this story of dressing up in bears' skins, see S. Baring
Gould's Book of Werewolves, p. 36. Egillson's explanation of the
O.Norse word berserkr is, one who wears a bear's sarlc, or a habit made
of bear-skin over his armour.
P. 61, 1. 1723. This mention of bear-baiting at a stake is worth re-
marking. Cf. Havelok, 1. 1840.
P. 62, 1. 1742. "You appear so furious a bear for a man to look
upon."
P. 63, 1. 1777. whiche. We should have expected to find hou used here.
1793. This is William's second experience of a " dern den " under a
" holw hok." See 11. 17, 295.
P. 64, 1. 1825. to Jcepe wity our Hues, to preserve our lives with. Com-
pare
" 0)>er catell, ojjer clo)> to coveren wij> our bones,"
(i. e. or wealth, or cloth to cover our bones with); Pierce the Ploughman*
Crede, 1. 116.
P. 67, 1. 1944. lenge^p may also be read lengey. But the true read-
ing is probably Ung\e, i. e. lengthen, as in 1. 1040. Cf. 1. 2345.
P. 68, 1. 1957. It is not uncommon in MSS. to find the word pope
erased or struck out. See The Romans of Partenay, p. xviii.
P. 69, 1. 1983. For at sent Sir F. Madden would read a-senle, as-
sented. But I think the MS. reading may stand ; at sent = at assent,
i. e. that she was an assenting party. For sent = assent, see Halliwell.
See also 1. 3017.
P. 71, 1. 2073. tret? andtene. " This expression is very ancient, and
may be found in Oaedmon." M. See Ccedmon; ed. Thorpe, p. 137,
1. 15.
NOTES (PAGES 73 97). 229
P. 73, 1. 2127. docrie, cause to be proclaimed. So in 1. 2145, let he
sende = he caused to be sent. See 1. 2174.
P. 76, 1. 2236. for-walked, tired out with waking or watching, fatigued
for want of sleep.
" It should properly be for-waked [as in 1. 790], but this variation be-
tween waked and walked is to be met with in other MSS." M. Com-
pare
" And sone the knycht he be the brydill nom,
Saying, " Awalk ! It is no tyme to slep."
Lancelot of the Laik, 1. 1048.
P. 77, 1. 2254. Perhaps bi should be be ; then Ipat him bi jiue schold
= that should be given him.
P. 82, 1. 2432. helles. "Bead delles." M. But Mies may stand,
as being the plural of hel, a hill ; see 11. 2233, 2318.
P. 83, 1. 2463. I think the rhythm, alliteration, and sense would all
be improved by inserting softeliche :
And as sone as he hade softeliche ' sette it adowne.
2471. Perhaps we should read blemched, i. e. blemished.
P. 84, 1. 2501. \at he bar, that which he bare.
P. 85, 1. 2554. semes. Printed serues in Sir F. Madden's edition, with
the note : " This word is doubtful, and looks in the MS. more like seines"
But the word is semes, in which the first stroke of the m is not quite
joined on to the second. There is no stroke above it to show that it
is an i / nor do I read the word as selues. Semes means horse-loads.
P. 87, 1. 2626. Here is a direct allusion to the part of the story which
is lost in our English MS. It will be found in the French text, on p. 2.
P. 89, 1. 2680. leng^e. Or it may be read lengye, which would be per-
haps better in this place. Lengye (the infinitive mood, like wonye in 1.
3312) is to dwell, remain ; lenglpe is to lengthen.
P. 90, 1. 2707. sece. Printed seie in Sir F. Madden's edition ; but a
close examination of the MS. shews sece to be the word. The sense is
"Now cease we to talk about the besiegers ; " of which " Now say we "
is the exact contrary.
P. 91, 1. 2731. greyt. This may be also read gre^t; the usual form is
grey^ed. Cf. the form a-grelped in 1. 52.
P. 94, 1. 2845. This " park " is the orchard or menagerie already men-
tioned at p. 3, 1. 65.
2864. drey. This may also be read dre]>, as printed by Sir F. Madden.
I have printed drey, as coming closer to the form dreijh, in 1. 2796.
P. 95. 1. 2870. The sense and alliteration both require the word
doubter to be inserted; see 1. 2875.
2890. bilaft, remained or stayed behind, whilst the hart fought the
beasts.
P. 96, 1. 2900. Sir F. Madden prints fat he gart," &c.; but the MS.
has gate. Gart or garte makes better sense, and is perhaps right. If so,
the wrong spelling gate was copied from 1. 2895.
P. 97, 1. 2964. J>e kinges sone, i. e. to the king's son.
230 NOTES (PAGES 98 m).
P. 98, 1. 2998. So also we have hire Ipoujt in 1. 2873, and here
four lines below it.
P. 99, 1. 3021. busked hem, i. e. ])ei busked hem. This omission of
the nominative is frequent, and no doubt intentional.
P. 102, 1. 3105. " Probably for er than an em." M. Er than would
mean ere then, or sooner then, with reference to the er following. I
almost think the first of the three er's is best omitted. That ar is mis-
written for an, there can be no doubt.
3116. Insert the metrical dot after ben. The alliteration follows a
rule not unusual in old English, that each half-line is alliterative within
itself. Thus :
It wenty ]?at we ben ri^t swiche as it-selue.
P. 105, 1. 3203. Something seems wrong here. If ne be inserted,
and fair changed into fairre (= more fair, as in 1. 4437) it would be
clearer. Perhaps, then, we should read
alle men vpon mold ne mi^t sen a fairre coupel, &c.
3220. " Something seems wanting to complete the sense, such as
neuer wol i haue.' " M. That is, we should read
ojjer armes al my lif atteli neuer wol i haue
where atteli is the infinitive mood. If the line is to stand unaltered, atteli
must be put for attele i; i.e. other arms all my life I design never (to)
have. Then the alliteration would fall upon the vowels, as thus :
o)>er armes al my lif atteli neuer haue.
3221. It is difficult to tell whether or not the spelling carfti was in-
tentional. Carfty appears also in The Romans of Partenay, 1. 5708 ; and
kerse is the usual old spelling of cress.
P. 106, 1. 3260. The word to seems to be required, and the line then
means, " for it had advanced to night, by that time." To fare forth is
to proceed, advance, go onward, go forth ; see 11. 2730, 4450. Cf. also 1.
3526.
P. 107, 1. 3282. For Icnty Jcud, a better reading would be Jcud kni$t.
The sense is the same both ways.
3290. For is, Sir F. Madden prints his. Both spellings of the word
occur throughout the poem. The MS. has is in this place.
P. 108, 1. 3315. One of the now's is redundant.
P. 110, 1. 3374. " A word seems requisite to eke out the line. Per-
haps we might read ' Kniztes with sire William thanne kauzt god hert.' "
M. Whilst adopting this suggestion, I have ventured slightly to shift
the inserted word. It now occurs to me, however, that the real error is
in Jcaujt. This, being plural, should be kau^ten or kauffi and then the
flow of the verse would be preserved without any insertion of an extra
word at all.
P. Ill, 1. 3399. Perhaps it should be, "ac spacly as )>e spaynoles,"
&c.
3404. lorlde. " Read lorde, and in the following line lord. The same
singular mistake (if it be one) occurs in p. 142, I. 24 [1. 3955 of the pre-
sent edition] for lordschip. 1 " M.
NOTES (PAGES 112 125). 231
P. 112, 1. 3450. " The illuminator has neglected to supply the capital
letter here." M. The little w was made, as usual, by the scribe for his
guidance. Three times the illuminator has mistaken his instructions,
and made a large M instead of a W ; see 11. 4660, 4880, 4923.
P. 113, 1. 3477. The word omitted is no doubt knijt, for this word is
considered as being alliterative to crist ; see 1. 3671.
P. 114, 1. 3509. The werwolf leapt into the sea, and crossed the
Straits of Messina to the opposite shore. This part of the story gives us
some idea of what the missing part of the English translation was like.
See p. 4.
P. 115, 1. 3530. The MS. may be read either sthoure, or schoure (as
in Sir F. Madden's edition). Sthoure is, I think, the word meant ; for
see 1. 3536. The scribe uses th as equivalent to the sound of t very fre-
quently ; see mijthi, mtyh in 11. 3549, 3557 just below, and wijtthli in 1.
3581.
3533. We should perhaps read, "< conquered."
P. 117, 1. 3597. lot me worty, let me be, let me alone.
So in Piers Plowman, ed. Wright, p. 12.
For-thi I counseille al the commune
To late the cat worthe.
P. 118, 1. 3639. There is a sort of gap in the sense which seems to
point to the loss of some such line as
Meyntened so his men Jjat manly, J>ei sone.
3646. "The final words of this and the two preceding lines are partly
erased, but legible. The later hand has endeavoured to restore them."
M.
P. 119, 1. 3665. for he, sc. the king of Spain's son. The change of
the subject is rather a rapid one.
P. 120, 1. 3695. " A verb is here wanting to complete the sense."
M. It is difficult to guess the missing word ; perhaps the sense may be
bettered by reading,
but I mijt nou^t awei J>er-with i-wisse, sire, & treujje.
3705. J)e saules. Read " there sanies." M. An almost better reading
would be " here saules," but is not so like what the scribe has given us.
P. 121, 1. 3737. man wod. Perhaps an error for wod man.
P. 122, 1. 3778. torn, opportunity. Not a very common word. It
occurs, however, in Piers Plowman, A. ii. 160.
I have no torn to telle Jje tayl J>at hem folwejj.
P. 123, 1. 3789. Iced. This, if pronounced issed, seems to be equiva-
lent to the Scottish yschit, issued, a not uncommon word in Barbour's
Brus.
3799. The scribe's spelling of Jmr& was clearly influenced by his know-
ledge that he was about to write the word your very soon.
3803. & I mowe come bi, if I can get hold cf.
P. 124, 1, 3825. The word \at should be omitted, but it is in the MS.
3835. In hounde, there is a (superfluous) stroke over the n.
P. 125, 1. 3883. Ferde is the reading in the parallel line, 3737.
232 NOTES (PAGES 125 us).
3884. The question has been raised whether in the phrase in Judges
ix. 53 " all to-brake his skull " we ought to join the to to the word all
or to the verb brake. It seems certain that, originally, the to was a part
of the verb, and separate from all, and the present line is an excellent
evidence of this. It seems equally certain that, in the sixteenth century,
the prefix to was not very well understood, and the result was that ail-to
was considered as a short way of writing altogether. See "The Bible
Wordbook," by J. Eastwood and W. Aldis Wright. Those who would
consider the to as belonging to al, and who consider alto as properly only
one word, must go on to explain what is meant by alfor, albi, and ala ;
for we find in this very poem the prefixes /or-, U-, and a- also preceded
by the word al See 11. 790, 793, 661, 872.
P. 127, 1. 3925. The first " & " seems redundant.
P. 130, 1. 4042. & fyouyt, i. e. and he thought, an example of the omis-
sion of the pronoun, a license in which the author indulges rather freely.
4055. dared, became motionless as if stupefied. The word occurs in
Chaucer.
P. 131, 1. 4061. any-skines, written any skines in the MS. I have
preserved this curious spelling, because I have observed it elsewhere,
viz., in one of the Trinity MSS. of Piers Plowman. See the foot-note to
P. PI. A. ii. 26, in my edition, and also the foot-note to Passus x. 2. In
the latter place, foure skenis, foure skynnes are various readings forfoure
kunne. In fact, any skines is only another way of writing anys kines.
" Such forms as alleskynnes (all kinds of), nosJcynnes (no kind of), are in-
stances of the genitives alles (of all), and nones (of none)." Morris :
Specimens of Early English, p. xxiv. I would submit, however, that
alleskynnes, noskynnes, are here wrongly translated ; the former means,
of every kind, the latter, of no kind, just as any skines means of any kind,
and foure skynnes means of four kinds. The phrase in Piers Plowman,
" of foure kunne Jjinges," means, of things of four kinds.
4065. Probably an error for " jjattow ne wost." The sense is, " It
can't be that you don't know."
P. 132, 1. 4104. That chaunged is the right reading is rendered pro-
bable not only by the recurrence of the word in 1. 4500, but by the use
of the equivalent wordforschop in 1. 4394.
P. 133, 1. 4150. Probably we should read, " ne may zou deliuere." M.
This is a slightly bolder alteration, but a considerable improvement.
P. 137, 1. 4278. " Se}e in MS. Bead ' sothli for sothe.' A pleonasm
arising from some blunder of the scribe." M.
P. 140, 1. 4379. " A slight liberty has been taken here, and also [in
lines 2323, 3942]. In all three cases the word is written in the MS.
' wirthe ' or ' worthe,' but the correction is so obvious, and the differ-
ence so small between c and t [in the MS.], as to warrant the altera-
tion." M. It may be added that sc is almost always written like st.
P. 141, 1. 4418. his grefforgaf, gave away, i. e. laid aside his anger.
Gref is sometimes anger caused by vexation, as in Alisaunder, 1. 264.
P. 145, 1. 4551. knew his sone sone, knew his son soon.
NOTES (PAGES ue 152). 233
P. 146, 1. 4577. " Therefore, King of heaven, praised should you
be, who have lent thee (Alphonse) thy life, to deliver us all." It is rather
an awkward sentence ; but it is usual, in Early English, to find " hajj "
put for " hast " in a sentence thus framed.
P. 147, 1. 4632. boute bot, without a boat ? The usual meaning of
boute bot is " without remedy," but this would be unsuitable here, for we
have " boute hurt oj>er harm " in the next line. The werwolf had to
swim across the Straits of Messina, and doubtless found it a hard task, for
he took care to secure a boat for the return journey. See 1. 2729. In
1. 567 we have " boute mast," and in 1. 568 " boute anker or ore." More
probably, however, boute bot= boute bod, without delay, as in 1. 149.
P. 148, 1. 4662. ioye. Sir F. Madden prints " fo]>e," with a note that
we should read " ioye." A close inspection of the MS. shews that the
first letter is really an i, with a blur to the right of it making it look
like a long s. The letters y and J? are made alike, throughout the MS.
4666. most, i. e. most glad.
P. 150, 1. 4716. god vnder god, wealth under God ; the author uses
under God or under heuene to signify throughout the world. The expres-
sion is repeated in 1. 4732, and in 1. 4730 we find " worldes god " for
worldly wealth.
4717. Read " it ne schal redili." M. After this line occur the lines,
" & fyerto hei^eli am i holde for holliche i knowe,
Jjat alle J>i sawes be so]? fiat jjou seidest ere."
These lines are out of place here, and occur in their proper places lower
down. The repetition of them, however, teaches us somewhat ; for it
affords a most certain proof of the unsettled state of orthography. We
here find the same scribe, in re-writing the same lines, altering heiyeli
and holliche into hei^eliche and holli, so that he considered the endings -li
and -liche as perfectly interchangeable, and it was a mere chance which
of the two he adopted. We also find seidest altered to saidest, shewing
the equivalence of the ei and ai sounds. There is also a difference of
reading ; for " ]ji sawes " reappears as " Ipe sawes." Lastly, the change
of "holde" into "hold" shews the uncertainty attending the use by
scribes of the final e.
4730. woldest ^erne, wouldst yearn for, wouldst desire to have.
P. 151. 1. 4736. a mite wor^. Just below, 1. 4754, the phrase used is
a bene wor\. Compare
Schal no deuel at his dejj-day deren him worfy a myte.
Piers Plowman, A. viii. 54.
A straw for alle swevenes signifiaunce !
God help me so, I counte hem nought a bene.
Chaucer, Troil. & Cress, bk. v. st. 52.
So we find, in the Knightes Tale the mountance of a tare (1. 712)
nought worth a myte (1. 700) ; in the Milleres Tale nat a kers (1.
568) ; and in the Pardoneres Tale the mountance of a corn of ivhete
(1. 401).
P. 152, 1. 4785. wil our lord wold, whilst our Lord would (permit us
234 NOTES (PAGES 153 159).
to live). This is repeated in 1. 4802. In the present line, however, wil
our lord wiliest would be a better reading.
P. 153, 11. 4797, 4798. " All the nobles immediately prayed for them
busily, (on the understanding) that they must by all means amend their
trespass," viz., by a life of penitence. Such an ellipsis is not uncommon ;
in 1. 4800, however, the introduction of the word so before that makes
the sense clearer.
P. 154, 1. 4827. This line is repeated, slightly varied, at 1. 4888.
P. 155, 1. 4877. tiding. Both this and tidinges are plural forms. Cf.
1. 1075.
P. 159, 1. 5004. bemleem ; so in MS. Read " beseem," i. e. Bethlehem.
5013. hurtel. " This term is used in Chaucer twice, Cant. T. 2618, 4717
[ed. Tyrwhitt], arid in the Wycliffite versions of the Bible is far from
uncommon. We find it also inserted in the Prompt. Parv. ' Hurtelyne,
as too thynges togedur, impingo, collide ; ' and, at a more recent period,
Shakspeare introduces it into his Julius Cassar, Act ii., sc. 2.
' The noise of battle hurtled in the air,
Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan/
The line in which this word occurs in our Romance is, perhaps, the
finest of the whole poem, and not surpassed by the more polished diction
of the Dramatist." M.
I would add that hurlest is a reading adopted for hurtlest in later
editions of Cant. Tales, in 1. 4717. But we find in Chaucer the word in
another place, " And hertely they hurtelen al attones."
Legend of Good Women; Cleopatra, 1. 59.
It occurs twice in the " Romans of Partenay ; " see the glossary. It
is used with great effect by Gray
Iron sleet of arrowy shower
Hurtles in the darkened air ;
though he obviously copies here from Shakespeare.
5014. desgeli. I let this word stand, though I believe it should be
desgesli, or, better still, desgisli, disgisli, or disgisili, for which latter form
see 1. 485. It is best explained by a passage from Chaucer's Persones
Tale " precious clothing is coupable for ... his straungeness and dis-
gisines," &c. Hence disgisili means strangely, extraordinarily, unusually,
inordinately, and is equivalent etymologically to disguisedly ; but it
should be noted that the meaning of the Old French desguiser is rather to
alter than to conceal the outward appearance of a thing, whence desguiser
is often used in the sense of to trim, deck out, or adorn. In the present
case, the sense is, that " there was so strange and unusual a din, that all
the earth quaked." In 1. 485, Meliors laments that she would, if she
married beneath her, " be extraordinarily disgraced." We must not con-
nect this with the A. S. digellice, secretly, for this would contradict the
sense in both places. The din (1. 5014) was not secret, but very mani-
fest ; and in 1. 485 Meliors is expressing that it is open and public and
unusual disgrace that she is afraid of, and that if she could keep the mat-
ter secret, all would be well.
NOTES (PAGES 160 175). 235
P. 160. 1. 5035. I fail to discover any alliteration in this line.
P. 167. 1. 5262. vnderston is probably the provincial pronunciation of
vnderstonde ; thus, and only thus, can we explain the curious reading
vndersto in 1. 5533 (which is very clearly written), where the scribe has
forgotten to make a stroke over the o to denote the n. Cf. note to 1. 261.
P. 168. 1. 5300. For i kneio we should probably read i know. The
letters e and o are often miswritten, one for the other.
5322. Jjo. Read "]je." M. But I do not feel convinced that the
alteration is needed. As it stands, we may translate it " Readily to-
wards Rome then, by the direct way ; " taking ri^tes gates as an adverbial
expression. There is some difficulty about rtyes ; see the glossary.
P. 170. 1. 5378. " Anon then in haste he bad (men) cause his
steward to come to him," &c. Come sometimes means become ; this might
suggest the sense, that William made the cowherd his steward, but the
latter explanation is disposed of by 1. 5391.
P. 172. 1. 5437. This curious expression, "the emperor's mother
William," meaning "the emperor William's mother," deserves notice.
It is the usual old English phrase. Thus, in Chaucer's Squyeres Tale, we
find
" Or elles it was the GreJces Tiors Sinon " (C. T. ed. Tyrwhitt ; 1. 10523).
That is, " or else it was Sinon the Greek's horse." In my opinion, it
was very injudicious of later editors to substitute GreJcissch for GreJces ;
for, with the latter reading, the line can only mean " or else it was the
Greek horse, Sinon," which makes out Sinon to be the name of the horse I
P. 174. 1. 5516. " That had had many hard haps theretofore, and (had)
been once in great trouble and misfortune." The repetition of hadde is
quite right.
P. 175. 1. 5536. 3^7, give ; like gif in 1. 5539 below. It is not the
conjunction yf (if) in this instance.
236
NOTES TO "ALISAUNDER."
[N.B. In the following notes, by the Greek text is meant the text of MS. No.
113 (du supplement) of the Bibliotheque du Roi, a long extract from which is given
in " Notices des Manuscrits de la Bibliotheque da Roi," torn. xiii. p. 219, edited by
M. Berger de Xivrey. By the French text is meant the text of MS. Bibl. du Roi, No.
7517, quoted in the same volume. By the Latin text (unless otherwise specified) is
meant the version contained in " Historia Alexandri magni regis Macedonie de
preliis," printed, according to the colophon, in A.D. 1490.]
P. 177, 1. 9. one, i.e. Alexander ; though in 1. 11 the poet begins to
tell first of all about his grandfather Amyntas.
21. Twoo sonnes. Rather three, viz. Alexander, Perdiccas, and Philip.
Perdiccas, like Alexander, was put to death by the wiles of Eurydice,
according to MS. C.C.C. 219.
22. The variations of spelling are due to the fact that the copyist has
evidently made alterations of his own in order to make the significations
plainer. Thus alder (which occurs again in 1. 27) is explained by elder.
It is very fortunate that he has been at the pains to preserve the old
spelling. It must be noted that he sometimes places the old spelling,
sometimes the modernized spelling, in the text. Thus, in 1. 1132, we find
Dupe altered to deepe, but in 1. 1156 he writes deepe, with the old spelling
dupe above it. I have therefore, in all cases, adopted that spelling
which seems rightly to belong to the original MS.
P. 178. 1. 28. LI. 4651 and 5226 of the Werwolf resemble this one.
30. " Nee multo post alexander, insidiis eurydicis matn's appetitws
occumbit. Cui amintas, in scelere deprehensse, propter communes
liberos, ignarus eisdem quandoque existiosam fore, pepercerat." MS.
C.C.C. 219, fol. 2. See also Orosius, ed. Havercamp, 1738, p. 168.
33. In this line, the cross-stroke to the initial D is made in the MS.,
showing plainly that the letter D was used in the original. In other
places, the copyist has written the small letter ft without the cross-stroke,
as in 1. 41, and elsewhere, and I have not always noticed this ; for the
omission of the cross-stroke is very common even in a thirteenth century
MS. ; see Mr Morris's Genesis and Exodus (E. E. T. S., 1865). It may
be added that the copyist has two ways of making a d ; one with a long
up-stroke, i.e. ft without the cross-stroke, and the other with the up-stroke
curled round to the left and brought down again. Only the former of
I
NOTES (PAGES ns 182).
237
these is used where ^ is meant. This is a convenient place for observing
that there is a second copy (inferior and with several omissions) of the
first 43 lines, at a later page of the MS., viz. on fol. 16 b. The following
variations may be noted : In 1. 2, for thinken, the second copy has
thynken, with an e over the y. No doubt the original had thenken (the
right spelling, see Werwolf, 1. 711), and it was rendered by thinken or
thynken. In 1. 3, for whe^er, another reading is outher. In 1. 4, for loose
the second copy has lose, which is better ; I am convinced that the
original could not have had so many double vowels as abound in this copy ;
thus yee and oojjer in 1. 1 should rather have been ye and ofyer. In 1.38,
for her the second copy has the more usual spelling hur.
44. In the Werwolf, we find the same method of concluding a para-
graph, and nearly in the same words ; see 11. 5396, 5466.
47. " Igitur alexander, inter prima initia regni, bellum ab illiriis,
pacta mercede et philippo fraZre dato obside, redemit. Interiecto quoque
tempore, per eundew obsidem cum thebanis grafo'am pacis reconciliat.
Quae res philippo maxima incrementa egregias indolis dedit. Si quidem
thebis triennio obses habitus, pmna puericise rudimewta in urbe seueritatis
antiquse et in domo epaminondas surami et philosophi et imperatoris de-
posuit." MS. C.C.C. 219, fol. 2. And see Orosius, as above.
P. 180, 11. 87, 88. hym betides, For hee. The MS. has Jiee betides,
for hym, with ee over ym in the latter word. The reading given in the
text is the only one that can be grammatically correct.
90. " Primum bellum cum Atheniensibus gessit." Orosius.
102. This date is from Orosius. It is right within a few years.
109. Assyriens, i. e. Illyrians. " Post hos, bello iu illiriis (sic) trans-
late, multa milia hostium caadit ; urbera nobilissimara larisseam capit."
MS. C.C.C. 219, fol. 2 b. So in Orosius; and indeed, the Assyrians are
out of the question. The reader must expect to find the greatest con-
fusion in the proper names ; in one of the French copies, for instance,
Artaxerxes is called Arressessers. In 1. 130, we have Larissa called the
city of the Assyrians.
P. 181, 11. 119, 131. In both places, the e in Larissea or Larisse has
a slight tag below it. In Latin MSS., this denotes ce, arid we thus have
another slight indication that our author translated from the Latin. Cf.
note to 1. 255.
124. Over deraine is written, as a gloss, the later spelling deraigne.
One or two quite unimportant variations of this kind I have omitted to
mention.
133. " Inde Thessaliam non magis amore victoriae, quam ambitione
habendorum equitum Thessalorum, quorum robur ut exercitui suo ad-
misceret, invasit." Orosius, as above.
135. The MS. has see, with swee or swa above it, hardly legible. In
1. 299, there is a similar difficult word. Considering both passages, the
word blundered over is probably sese, sesen. Cf. Seseden in 1. 234.
P. 182, 11. 155 170. Orosius simply says, "Igitur victis Atheniensibus,
subjectisque Thessalis ;" and in MS. C.C.C. 219 we merely find, " Quibus
238 NOTES (PAGES 183 iss).
rebus feliciter prouenientibws." That the poet has spun this out into 16
lines seems to me highly probable, and it will therefore be but a vain
search to look for an original that may agree with his translation more
closely. Just below we have 22 lines, 178 199, which seem to me
evidently his own, every word of them.
172. Arisba or Erubel. In his edition of Orosius, Havercamp adopts
the spelling Aruba, the common reading being Eurucha; we also find
the spellings Amelia, Erybba, Arymba, &c. Compare " Olimpiadew,
neoptolemi regis molossorum filiam, uxorera ducit, conciliante nuptias
fraZre patrueli auctore uirginis sarraba rege molossorwm, qui sororem.
olimpiadis troadam in matn'monio habebat ; quas causa illi exitium (sic)
maloruwqwe omm'tim fuit." MS. C.C.C. 219, foL 3.
P. 183, 1. 199. Cf. Werwolf, 1. 671.
P. 184, 1. 234. Seseden begins with a double long s. Wherever I
have printed ss, it is to denote a character resembling a German sz.
240. " (Aruba) privatus in exilio consenuit." Orosius.
P. 185, 1. 248. hampred is doubtless the word wanted. It occurs in
the Werwolf, 1. 1115, &c.
255. Comothonham. Several MSS. of Orosius have " Cu. mothonam
urbem oppugnaret," &c. ; where Cu means Cum. Hence the strange
word Comothonham, repeated in 1. 310; and hence, also, a clear proof that
the poet translated from a Latin original, as he himself asserts in 1. 458.
256. The MS. has " holde menne J>ere," but the alliteration shows
that we must read bolde ; holde belongs to the next line, which see.
264. greefe, i.e. vexation, anger ; cf. Werwolf, 4418.
268. areblast. Bather, read arblast, which the copyist has turned
into aireblast, i.e. air-blast!
P. 186, 1. 284. merken. Probably not an error for maken, as might be
thought ; for the word occurs again in 1. 932. See the Glossary.
291. flocke. Possibly an error for folke ; yet flocke makes good
sense. Sonndes or sound.es is ho doubt put for sondes, messengers.
292. The MS. reading " Gamws " must be a mistake for Gainws or
Ganws ; see Gainus in the Glossary.
295. cournales; see Werwolf, 1. 2858.
299. The MS. lias seene or seeue, with i over the ee. The right word
is perhaps sesen, written sesene, and read as seiene by the copyist.
302. Here and elsewhere many a is written " many a ," with the a
above the line, as if it did not belong to the phrase ; but see Werwolf,
11. 3410, 3411. A large portion of the description of this siege of Methone
is doubtless of the poet's own invention.
P. 187, 1. 329. The outline of the story of these wars is given in Orosius.
P. 188, 1. 347. wonde is no doubt the right word, wende being an
ignorant gloss upon it, subversive of the sense.
349. MS. has strane, or straue. Perhaps it means,
" Steeds, stirred from the place, strain under men."
Otherwise, for strane read stronge, and the sense is,
" Steeds stirred from the place under strong men."
NOTES (PAGES 189 193).
239
For men under = under men, see I. 1188.
362. spenen is the right reading, and is put for spenden, like wen for
wend, &c.
P. 189, 1. 391. The alteration of Phosus into 3>osus is a convincing
proof that the copyist took an occasional liberty with the spelling. He
could not have had <bosus before him in an Old English MS. of the 14th
century.
P. 190, 1. 416. The copyist has written stelger, and marked it as
being a word he did not understand. The words may have been run
together in the older MS. Stel ger is simply " steel gear."
421. Here is another proof that the poet probably followed the Latin
of Orosius. We find there the phrase " Philomelo duce " whence he
adopted the form Philomelo in 1. 364, and did not alter it here. Yet
Orosius afterwards has " sequenti prselio inter immensas utriusque
populi strages Philomelus occisus est : in cujus locum Phocenses Ouo-
marchum ducem creaverunt."
P. 191, 1. 439. jeme. The MS. has either " $enn " or " ^eme." The
latter is right ; see 1. 365.
445. This line means, " that ever they paused in the strife, (though
it had caused them) to die upon the field."
451. for his grete yie, in return for his great eye ; a curious way of
expressing that his vow, mentioned in 1. 281, had been fulfilled.
452. Here the more historical part of the story ceases, and the
romance properly begins. From this point, also, the poet translates
from a different source, as explained in the Preface. LI. 452 1092
should be compared with the first 722 lines of Mr Stevenson's edition of
" The Alliterative Romance of Alexander" (Roxburghe Club, 1849) ; from
MS. Ashmole 44. See also Gower, Conf. Amant. bk. vi.
457. This shews that the poet used more books than one to translate
from. His regret that he could not trace the lineage of Nectanabus
shews that his probable object in the preceding part of the poem was to
trace the lineage of Alexander, and to say something about his father
and grandfather.
459. Nectanabus; called also Anectanabus, Anec, or Natabus. The
story of Nectanabus is utterly rejected by Lambert li Tors. See " Li
Romans d'Alixandre," par Lambert li Tors et Alexandre de Bernay ;
herausgegeben von Heinrich Michelant : Stuttgart, 1846, p. 5.
460. This line occurs, slightly altered, in the Werwolf, 1. 119.
463. Some such word as Jcene or kid must be supplied.
465. T-wis may mean prudent, knowing (A.S. ge~wis), but as it is else-
where always an adverb in both poems, I prefer to think that the sentence
is incomplete ; and that this line ought to be followed by some such line
as
" For a wel kud clerke and koynt in his liue."
P. 192, 1. 473, But, except.
475 483. The Latin is "now movit militiam, neqwe preparavit
exercitum, sed iwtravit cubiculum palatii sui ; et deprewdews concham
240 NOTES (PAGES 102, 193).
eream plenam aqua pluuiali, tenewsque in manu virgam eream, hie per
magicos incantationes intelligebat in ipsa concha classes nauium super
eum potewtissime venientes."
493. nine grete nations. The number nine may have been selected
merely for the alliteration. The names of these nations vary greatly in
the different copies. The " Augmi " or " Augni " (for our MS. may be
read either way, on account of the m or n being here represented by a
horizontal line) may perhaps be the Aavol of the Greek, or the " Argiri"
of the Latin text. By the " Bosorii " the translator would probably mean
the men of Bussorah or Bassorah ; yet this city was not founded till A.D.
636. It represents the Boo-Tropoi of the Greek text, and possibly answers
to the " Rosphariens " of the French text (MS. Bibl. du Roi, No. 7517).
The " Agiofagi " (" Agiophii " in the Latin text) are the " Agrio-
phagi " mentioned in the Latin MS. No. 8518 of the Bibl. du Roi :
" Another folk woneth in the west half,
That eteth never kow no kalf,
Bote of panteris and lyouns,
And that they nymeth as venesons.
Othir flesch, no othir fysch,
No othir bred, heo no haveth, y-wis.
Feorne men, and othir therby,
Clepeth heom Agofagy?
Weber's Metrical Romances, v. i. p. 261.
P. 193, 1. 515. The Christian sentiment in this line and in 1. 523, of
ascribing strength to God only, is the poet's own.
I here add, by way of illustration, the speech of Nectanabus as given
in the various texts.
2i) pev, KdXatg KOI enieiKwg rjv tTriffrtvOrjc; fypovpav ^vXarrwv, KO.I prj
TUVTO. \tyt. AttXaig yap KOI ov orpariwritfwe ktyQiyfa. Ov yap iv
ox\<t)Ji ^urafjiig, uXX' iv TrpoQv^iq. o TroXepog. Km yap tig \lb)i> TroXXac
tXa^ouc t^ttpwtraro. Keu elg XVKOQ TroXXag dye'Xae Troipviwv f.<JKv\tvat.v.
"lfrre ovv ffv TTopevOfjc cLfjia rolQ iv viTorayrj aoi ffTpaTtwTaiQ rijv iciav
Trapara^tv ^uXarre' Xoyw yap tv\ r&v fiapfidpiiiv dvapidfJirjTOV TrXrjdog
TreXaya eiriKaXv^u). MS. Bibl du Roi, No. 113 (suppl.) ; quoted in
Notices des Manuscrits de la Bibliotheque du Roi ; torn. xiii. p. 223.
" Custodiam quam tibi cowdidi bene obserua ; sed non tamew sicut
princeps militie egisti, sed sicut homo tirnidus. Uirtus enim now hec
valet in multitudme populi, sed in fortitudine animorum ; an nescis quod
vnus leo mwltos ceruos in fugam vertit? " Historia Alexandri ; edition
of 1490, page 1.
" Va-t-en a la garde que je t'ai commandee, et veille curieusement, et
pense de bien garder ta reccomandise. Car tu n'a pas parle comme prince
de chevalerie, inais comme homme paoureux. Car il n'affiert pas k gou-
verneur de peuple qu'il s'espouvente pour grant quantite de gent ; car
victoire ne gist pas en multitude de gent, inais en vigueur et force de
courage. N'as tu pas veu par plusieurs fois que ung [lyon ?] meit a la
NOTES (PAGES 194 196).
241
fuite grant quantite de serfz [cerfz ?]. ! Aussi se peut poy contretenir la
grant multitude contre les vigureux." MS. BibL du Roi ; quoted in the
above vol., p. 287. See also Alexander, ed. Stevenson ; p. 4, 11. 97 110.
P. 194, 1. 532. Fleete certainly means to float here ; yet the Latin has
" videbat qualiter egiptii sternebanttw impetu classiurn Barbarorum." Out
of this the translator has made this curious passage about the " god of
Barbre," the origin of which is to be traced to a misunderstanding of the
Greek text, which says, " he sees the gods of the Egyptians steering the
enemies' boats, and the armies of the Barbarians being guided by them."
545. white sendal ; " linea vestimenta."
549. let trusse, commanded his men to pack up.
557. Seraphin; so spelt in the French text. The Latin has Serapis.
P. 195, 1. 565. He shall hye hym againe. The response of the oracle must
be given in the words of the Greek text. It runs thus : 6 ^vy
y/^ft ird\LV iv alyviTTO), ov yj/poirfcwv, aXXa vta^wv, Kal TOVQ
riptiv irtpactQ i/7rordet. Here the word iripaaQ is ambiguous, and may
mean " having destroyed " or " the Persians." M. Berger de Xivrey
draws special attention to this oracle, which he considers as the basis of
the whole romance. It was fulfilled, not by the return of the old man
Nectanabus, but by the visit to Egypt of his son, the young man
Alexander. It is accordingly alluded to again in the passage where
Alexander, seeing the great image (mentioned by our author in 1. 568),
inquires whom it represents. He is told it represents Nectanabus, upon
hearing which he falls down and kisses the feet of it. Of. Alexander, ed.
Stevenson, 1. 1135 ; Weber's Metr. Rom. vol. i. p. 67.
574. Here begins a new paragraph " Quomodo Anectanabits
ascendit palaciuw ad Olimpiam reginam ; " and in Mr Stevenson's edition
is the heading " Secundus passus Alexandri."
584. " Aue regina Macedonie ! dedignatws ei dicere domina"
P. 196, 1. 594. " Uerbum regale dixisti, quawdo egiptios nomiwasti."
596. The MS. has worclich, a mere error for wortlich, which is
another spelling of worthlich ; cf. 1. 1024.
601 . ludene of^at language, the speech (or meaning) of that language.
''Sum uuderstandis in a stounde the steven (voice) of the briddis," &c.
Alexander, ed. Stev. 1. 252.
Compare also the passage in Chaucer about Canace understanding the
language of birds.
sche understood wel euery thing
That eny foul may in his lydne sayn,
And couthe answer him in his lydne again.
The Squyeres Tale, Pars Secunda; 11. 8890.
613. We should rather read, Too defend \eefro doole.
616. Imped, set; lit. engrafted. "Tabulaw* ereara et eburneam
1 The editor has a note" On reconnait la les idees provenant de la superiorite
si marquee de la chevalerie, au moyen age, sur les serfs et sur les vilains." True,
no doubt ; but serfz probably means stags in this passage, nevertheless.
16
242 NOTES (PAGES 196 201).
mixtam auro et argento." Of. " His ars-table he tok oute sone ; " Weber,
Metr. Rom., vol. i. p. 17. It was, I suppose, an astrolabe-planisphere.
620. The contents of the circles are wrongly given. They should
be (1.) The 12 intelligences " duodeci/w intelligewtias " " les xii. in-
telligences, c'est assavoir les xii. entendemens ;" (2.) the signs of the
zodiac, called in MS. Ashmole " a dusan of bestes ; " and (3.) the courses
of the sun and moon.
P. 197, 1. 628. forcer, a box ; " une boiste d'ivoire." It contained a
species of horoscope, in which were the seven planets, to each of which
was assigned a particular kind of stone. Thus in 1. 634 we should rather
read, "Seuen stones," but the poet has written Foure for the sake of allitera-
tion, regardless of facts. The seven stones are mentioned in the Latin
MS. Bibl. du Koi, No. 8518. " Jovem quippe viseres aerino lapide nun-
cupatum. Solem cristallo, Lunain adamante, Martern dici sub lapide
hematite, Mercurium smaragdo. Venus autem saphirina erat ; Saturnus
in ophite. At vero horoscopus lygdinus erat." The Greek text has the
same.
656 674. This passage is not in the Greek, Latin, or French texts,
and was inserted by the translator from another source (see note to 1.
837), to account for Philip's ill-will against Olympias. The interpolation
is needless, as a dream is contrived by Nectanabus expressly for Philip's
information soon afterwards ; see 11. 807 874. The present passage is
also omitted in MS. Ashmole 44.
P. 199, 1. 694. " Neqwe iuvenis neqwe senex, et barbam canis habens
ornatara. Unde si placet, esto illi parata," &c. The " silver horns,"
however, are essential, as being the chief characteristic of the god Amrnon.
" With tachid in his for-toppe two, tufe homes.'"
Alexander, ed. Stevenson, 1. 319.
698. glisiing is another form of glisiande, glistening.
700. Supply the word J>ee. Nye, to draw nigh, occurs in 11. 739, 817 ;
and nye \ee in 1. 764.
702. " Si hec videro, non vt prophetam nee diuinuwi, sed vt deum
ipsutfi adorabo."
710-744. This passage is much amplified. It is much shorter in the
Ashmole MS., and the Latin merely has " euellit herbas, terewsqwe eas
et succos illarum tulit, et fecit incantationes per diabolica figmewta ; vt
in eadem nocte Olimpia deum Hamorc cowcumbentem secum videret,
dicentewiqwe ei post cowcubitum, mulier, concepisti defensorewi tuum."
P. 200, 1. 726. riue. The MS. has riue, with / over the u, rightly
explaining riue by the modern word rife.
738. Or-trowed, lit. over-trowed, and hence, suspected, imagined.
Compare ouer-trowe in the Glossary.
756. No noo]>er, none other, nothing else. So also J)i narmes for Jn
armes (Werwolf, 1. 666).
P. 201, 1. 760. Too waite at a window, to watch at a window. A
favourite phrase of our author's. See Werwolf, 11, 779, 2982, 3030, 3300.
764. The line would run as well again if ]?ee nye were altered to nye
NOTES (PAGES 201 203).
243
\>ee. Compare " Nam ille deus in figura draconis ad te veniet ; et exinde
humana?/i formam accipiens ; et mea similitudine apparebit."
770. " Si veritatew probare valebis, te quasi patrem pueri habebo."
But this is sometimes curiously altered, as in the following :
u Then salle I cherische the with chere as thou my child were,
Loute the lovely and love alle my lyfe days."
Alexander, ed. Stevenson, 1. 368.
774, 775. These two fine lines certainly surpass the bald statement
" circa autew primam, vigiliam noctis."
779. slaked on wightes, fell relaxingly upon men. Wightes, not
mightes, is the right reading. Compare
" Qwen it was metyn to the merke * that menn ware taryst, 1
Andfolke was on thair firste slepe and it was furth evyne."
Alexander, ed. Stevenson, 1. 374.
781. a dragones drem, a dragon's droning. Drem or dream is some-
times a loud, droning sound. The Latin has " et sibilando contra
cubiculuw Olimpie cepit trawsuolare." The French has " ala sufflant
entour le lit." Cf. 11. 982, 985.
782. makes his lidene, i. e. talks softly. Compare ludene above,
1. 601,
P. 202, 1. 802. Deemes, i. e. will deem. Philip had been from home
for some time ; she wonders what he will say when he returns.
808. " Euellens herbas, triturauit eas et tulit succum illaruw, appre-
hendensqwe auem marinara, cepit super earn incarctare, illam de succo
herbarum liniens."
813. Compare
"And [with?] the wose of the wede hire wengis anoyntes."
Alexander, ed. Stevenson, 1. 413.
817. The phrase tried \e night occurs in the Werwolf, 1. 770.
P. 203, 1. 824. The Latin has "deus Hamon;" and " Amon" is here
mentioned in MS. Ashmole.
826. The word deede was miswritten deene owing to confusion with
deerne. Compare
" jjat deede derne ' do no mon scholde."
Piers Plowman, ed. Skeat, A. x. 199.
In the Latin follows "quod videret os uulue consuere et aunulo aureo
consignare et in ipso aunulo erat lapis vbi erat sculptum caput leoms
et currws solis et gladius peracutus."
837. nyed, approached (a favourite word with our author), is almost
certainly the word required here. The following passage is worth
notice here.
" Philipe aussi long temps apres ses nopces songea quil seelloit le
ventre de sa femme dung grant seel auquel estoit graue lymaige dung
lyon ; par lequel songe, comme plusieurs eussent expose a phellippe quil
1 Read
taryst," i.e. to rest.
16*
244 XOTES (PAGES 203 205).
se donnast garde de sa ferame, Aristawder le deuin affermoit quelle auoit
chargie denfant. Car on ne seelle point les choses vuydes ; et que elle
se deliueroit dung enfant, plain de couraige et ayant nature de lyon.
^[ Deuawt ce on auoit veu vng dragon couchant empres olympie qui lors
dormit, la quelle chose Refroida tresfort Phelippe enuers elle." MS.
Douce 318, chap. iii. The same MS. informs us further that Philip
avoided Olympias, because he feared magic or poison ; that he sent to
Delphos, and was told to sacrifice to the god " Amon," and that he would
lose an eye as a punishment for having beheld Amon with her ; all
which is related by Plutarch. But Eratosthenes says, his mother only
told Alexander the secret of his birth on his setting out on his expedition.
A similar story is told of the mother of Scipio Africanus. Plutarch explains
the dragon story by saying that Olympias belonged to a tribe that reli-
giously cherished serpents of great size. Justin says, Olympias dreamt of
having conceived a serpent. "Vincent lystorial " (i. e. Vincent of Beau-
vais, in his "Speculum Historiale") ascribes the engendrure of Alexander
to Neptanabus, but this is flat against Holy Scripture, since in the book
of Maccabees [bk. 1. chap. i. v. 1] Alexander is expressly called the
" son of Philip." All this, and more, is to be found in the above-
mentioned MS., chap. iii.
853. J>0 sonne course of Jje sell, the course of the sun upon the seal.
MS. Ashmole has "the course one the sonne."
P. 204, 1. 855. sonne rist, rising of the sun, the far East ; " ad orientem,
vnde sol egreditur."
860. The MS. has boldes, but we must read holdes ; cf. note to 1. 256.
873. meting, dream. See the Glossary.
875. Here begins a new paragraph in the Latin, with the heading,
" Qualiter Anectanabus in Sgura draconis antecedebat Philippurn in
prdio deuincendo et hostes."
879. lasches, lashes, i. e. heavy strokes. Cf. the phrase " to deal
dints ; " Werwolf, 3440.
883. Deraide, acted madly or terribly. It is the past tense, not the
past participle, but we ought perhaps to supply hym after it.
P. 205, 1. 895. Here loren is correctly glossed by lorne, i. e. lost.
900-953. The whole of this passage is an interpolation from another
source, and belongs rather to history than to the romance. The drift
of it agrees with the account given by Orosius.
901. The MS. has " Was going too J?e ouer Greece," &c. But the
word " J>e " must be corrupt, being an article without a substantive,
and, moreover, a verb is required. I propose ride as very probably being
the correct reading, as it is the expression used in 1. 5471 of the Werwolf
in a similar case. If the first two letters of tide were erased, de might
easily be confused wilh *&e or )>e.
903. The Athenians stopped him by occupying the pass of Ther-
mopylae. " Athenienses . . . angustias Thermopj^larum . . . occupavere."
Orosius, ed. Havercamp, 1738, p. 171.
904. to keueren him gate, to recover (or obtain) for himself a passage.
NOTES (PAGES 206208). 245
908. Jje entres ; the entries, i.e. the pass. Enforced, strengthened,
forcibly occupied.
909. We must read either ]>o marches, or \at marche ; for the plural
form J)0 see 1. 912. The MS. has ]pat marches.
911. agrised is a gloss upon agrise, the form used by our author.
913. Philip, failing to harm his enemies, cruelly attacks his own
allies ; " paratum in hostes bellum vertit in socios." Orosius.
P. 206, 1. 923. Besides of, we almost require to insert was.
"Hee wrathfull of wille was wronglich jjare."
928. Lines 2621, 2647 in the Werwolf resemble this line.
933. The MS. has traie, with be written before it above the line ;
perhaps traie is the right reading, and betraie the gloss upon it.
934. " Conjuges liberosque omnium sub corona vendidit, templa
quoque universa subvertit, spoliavitque," &c. Orosius.
940. He ne loft no lenger, he remained no longer ; cf. 1. 950.
942. fares, goes. This makes sense, but I suspect the right word is
cay res.
944. "Post ha3C in Cappadociam transiit, ibique bellum pari
perfidia gessit, captos per dolum finitimos reges interfecit, totamque
Cappadociam imperio Macedonia subdidit." Orosius. The editor
(Havercamp) remarks that this is false, and that Cappadociam is a mere
mistake for Chalcidicam or Chalcidem ; and he is doubtless right, as the
siege of Olynthus in Chalcidice must be meant.
P. 207, 1. 954. At about this line we drop the history and return to the
romance, taking it up from 1. 899.
965. " Nevertheless I know (it) not yet, nay, as I trow." Not ne
wot. This is awkward enough. It represents the Latin " Peccasti,
inquit, et now peccasti, quia violentiam a deo passa es."
974. This line occurs in the Werwolf, 1. 1416 ; cf. also 1. 5250. It
should be observed that a new paragraph begins here in the Latin, with
the heading, "Quomodo Anectanabus in figuram draconis apparuit
Philippo in conuiuio, et osculatus est Oliwipiam."
980. Cf. Werwolf, 1. 4906.
P. 208, 1. 982. See note to 1. 781, and cf. 1. 985. The Latin has
" fortiter sibilabat."
992. liuand lud, living man ; a favourite phrase of our author's ; see
1. 790, and Werwolf, 11. 1690, 3678, 5429.
994. greefly Ugo, grievously beset ; bigo is glossed by bigone.
999. Here begins a new paragraph in the Latin, with the heading,
" Quornodo auis generavit ouum in gremio philippi, de quo confracto
exiuit serpens, qui statim mortuws est."
1004. " He laid an egg in his lap, and then hurries away." Hee
might stand for she, but him is always masculine. We should certainly
have expected to find the feminine, as in the Latin and in MS. Ashmole44.
1008. to-shett, i. e. " brast all esoundir," as MS, Ashmole has it. Cf.
too-clef in the next line.
246 NOTES (PAGES 209 211).
P. 209, 1. 1013. had in his hed, got his head in. Deide is the right
spelling, and dyed the gloss.
1022. Raigne is the old spelling, reigne the gloss.
1024. wortlych is found as an occasional spelling of worthlych ;
worthly is a gloss. Cf. 1. 596.
1025. " Ere he come unto the- country that he came from."
1026. doluen andded ; more correctly, ded and doluen, i. e. dead anil
buried. Cf. Werwolf, 5252, 5280.
1030. roum may mean room, space ; and hence, a while.
1031-2. u Ere he may wend with his host to his (own) land where he-
was fostered and fed it befalls him to die."
1033. Here begins a new paragraph in the Latin, without a heading,
and in MS. Ashmole 44 is the heading " Tercius Passus Alexandri."
1034. A portion of the story is here lost. I might have supplied the
omission from MS. Ashmole 44 (see Stevenson's edition, 11. 525 672) r
but the great length of this passage and the consideration that to supply
the omission from another alliterative poem might lead to confusion be-
tween the two, were reasons against this. Or it might have been supplied
from the Latin, beginning at " Appropircquaws autera tempws pariendi '"
and ending " Audiens hec Olimpia terrore perterrita vocauit Anec-
tanabum, et dixit." It seemed to me, however, that a quotation from the
French would be more acceptable, and the omission is supplied therefore
from MS. Bibl. du Roi, No. 7517, as edited in the 13th vol. of " Notices
des Manuscrits," &c. ; pp. 297-299. The following words may require
explanation :
chey, fell ; croulla, shook ; noif, snow (explained by neige by the
editor of the French text) ; targa, tarried, delayed ; me feust, perhaps
we should read ne feust, for the Latin has, "cogitaui quod infantulws iste
nullatenws nutriatur," and the Ashmole MS. has, " That this frute shall
haue na fostring ne be fed nouthire ; " vair (Lat. " glaucus "), gray ;
MS. Ashmole has " ^elow ; " sestature, stature ; nonpour quant, never-
theless ; ysnellete, quickness (cf. O.E. snell) ; doubta moult, feared
greatly.
P. 211, 1. 1038. " He was very well pleased with his noble deeds, but
(then) he changed his demeanour," &c.
1041. The MS. has maried, with r over the i. Hence, the old word was
marred, altered to maried ; for marred is a common word with our author.
Marred too care, vexed unto great anxiety, is a not very intelligible
phrase, and therefore liable to alteration. It means much the same as
wofull in hert in the next line.
1043, 1044. Blank spaces are left in the MS. for the two half-lines.
Compare
" Be no^t afri^t," quoth the freke " ne afrayd nouthir,
It sail the noy no^t a neg nane of his tho^tes."
Alexander, ed. Stevenson, 1. 675.
In which passage, a neg is equivalent to an eg. There is nothing lost
(save a half-line) between 11. 1044 and 1045.
NOTES (PAGES 212, 213). 247
P. 212, 1. 1054. fonde /, mee tell, I ask (you to) tell me.
1055. Cf. " Quat sterne is at 36 stody one quare stekis it in hevyne."
Alex. 1. 683.
1061. inkest, blackest. The MS. is rather indistinct; the"&es*"is
plain, but the beginning of the word is represented by a straight horizontal
stroke (elsewhere used for m or n), with a dot over the very commence-
ment of it. Enke=ink occurs in " Meidan Maregrete" ed. Cockayne,
stanza 61 ; and in Wycliffe's version of the Bible. The Latin merely
has, " Sequere me hora noctis," &c.
1076-7. Compare the version in MS. Ashmole
" Alexander, athill sonne * (quoth Anec his syre),
Loo yondir, behald over thi hede and se my hatter werdis (dire
destinies),
The evylle sterne of Ercules * how egirly it soro^es,
And how the mode Marcure * makis sa mekill joy,
Loo yondir, the gentill Jubiter how jolyle he schynes." (11. 701-705.)
1080-1. Hee pored, i.e. Nectanabus. Hee braides, i.e. Alexander.
Perhaps there are a few lines lost between these two. Compare
u The domes of my destany drawis to me swythe,
Thik and thrathly am I thret and thole mone I sone
The sla^ter of myne awen son as me was sett ever.'*
Unethis werped he that worde the writt me recordis,
Thanne Alexander as sone * was at him behind,
And on the bake with slike a bire he bare with his handis
That doune he drafe to the depest of the dike bothom.
Alexander, 11. 706712.
The Latin has "Fata mea mihi propinquam mortem a filio meo
comminantur. Taliter eo vidente, accessit ad eum. propinquius alex-
ander," &c.
P. 213, 1. 1092. sounJc or hee wer, ere he was sunken.
1094. This corresponds with 1. 722 of MS. Ashmole 44. Though
there is not the slightest hint of any omission in Mr Stevenson's edition,
there must be several pages lost in the Ashmole MS. between this line
and the next ; for the story leaps at once from the dying words of
Nectanabus to the duel of Alexander and Nicolas, entirely omitting the
rest of the story as told in the Greaves MS. Hence from 1. 1094 to the
end is the only existing copy in alliterative verse of this portion of the story.
It does not go quite far enough to supply the whole of the lacuna in the
Ashmole MS., but it nearly does so, contributing 155 lines towards it.
1094. hee in this line is probably put for hue, i. e. she, the word soule
being feminine.
1095. armed, fortified, bold.
1098. The French has " et prist maintenant le corps et le porta au
palais. Quant la royne le vit, si lui dist, ' Filz Alixandre, que aportes
tu ? '"
1103 1105. These words belong to Alexander. The French has
" En ycelle maniere que tu souffris que il feusse mon pere, a tort, pour ce
que tu ne le me deis, Fas tu fait occire a tort."
248 NOTES (PAGES 213, 214).
1107. heate, false spelling for hete, command.
1110. The initial T of this letter is rather larger than usual, and a
new paragraph begins here. At this point I should conjecture that the
Quartus Passus of the Ashmole MS. may have commenced. In our
MS. " A HORSS " is here written in the margin, to intimate that the story
of Bucephalus begins here. In the Latin, a new paragraph begins here
with the heading " Qualiter quidam. priwceps de Capadocia aduxit equum
bucifallum ad philippum regem macedonum."
P. 214, 1. 1114. a hedde as a bole, a head like a bull ; an allusion to
the etymology of Bucephalus, from /3ovc, an ox, and fc0a\), a head. The
name, however, really means a horse branded with a mark like a bull's
head ; see Liddell and Scott's Greek Lexicon. I here add the description
of Bucephalus as given in the Old High German poem of Alexander,
written in the twelfth century by a priest named Lamprecht, as a
specimen of that version. For the translation I crave indulgence, as it
may not be quite correct. The letter z (italic) is used instead of a letter
in Weismann's edition which resembles a z with a slight tag to it.
das ros daz was wunderlich The horse was wonderfully
irre unde vil stritich, wilful and very full-of-strife,
snel unde stare von gescafnisse, quick and strong of shape,
des suit ir sin gwisse. (of it should ye be certain).
iz hete unzalliche craft He had unspeakable strength,
unde urnm&sliche macht ; and measureless might ;
iz irbeiz di lute unde irsliich, he bit people and slew (them),
iz was freislich gmich. he was terrible enough.
ime was sm rnunt, To him, was his mouth
da? wil ih u tun kunt, (that will I make known to you)
alseime esele getan. just-like an ass's made.
di nasen waren ime wite uf getan. His nostrils were wide opened,
sine oren waren ime lane, his ears were to him long,
daz houbit magir unde slanc. his head meagre and lank.
sine ougen waren ime allirvare his eyes were to him of-all-colours
glich eineme fliegendin are. like (those of a) flying eagle.
Sin hals was ime lockechte, His neck was to him covered-with-
locks,
ih wene iz were lewin geslehte. I ween he was of a lion's kind,
lif den goflfen hatiz rindis har, On his shanks had he heifer's hair,
an den siten liebarten mal : on his sides leopards' spots :
s6 sarrazin ioh cristin man like Saracen, so-also Christian man
nie nihein bezzer ros gwan. never a better horse won.
Alexander, vom Pfaffen Lamprecht, von Dr H. Weismann, 1850, p.
16. See also the description of Bucephalus in Weber's Met. Rom., vol.
i. p. 33.
1130. hym may refer to the spokesman of the messengers ; but hem
would be a better reading.
1131. The French has "si dist a ses ministres, Receves ce cheval,
et le jnetes en une grant quage de fer, et illeuc 1'encloys," &c. He
comanded lygge, would mean " he commanded (men) to build."
NOTES (PAGES 2 15- -2 is). 249
1144. Who prickes is surely the right reading; compare " celle
nuit songa li roys que une voys li disoit, que oil qui chevaucheroit se
cheval regneroit en son rengne apres sa mort."
P. 215, 1. 1158. in theyr looke, in their sight.
1159. freaten, false spelling forfreten, eaten.
1161. The MS. may be read as "iustes" or " iuyses," the word being
indistinct. The former, however, is certainly meant.
1162. The line ends with the letter b followed by a space ; beaste is
the spelling in 1. 1130.
1167. abowed, like alouted (for which see Werwolf, 3716, 3721),
should perhaps be followed by the word to.
P. 216, 1. 1186. lete hym worthe, let him be, let him do as he liked.
See note to Wei-wolf, 1. 3597.
1193. The MS. has stynt, with ed above it to the right. Thus stynt
is the old reading, stynted the gloss.
1201. We learn from the Latin that Philip grants Alexander's re-
quest by giving him a royal chariot and a company of knights, and the
story of the duel between Alexander and Nicolaus or Nicholas follows
shortly after. But our author again digresses from the romance story
at this point, and takes up the history of Orosius.
P. 217, 1. 1226. The story of the Finding of the Cross by Helen, the
mother of Constantine, is well known, and is here alluded to.
1231. This line begins with "For Philip," but the For is redundant,
as it appears in the line above. For " to wynne " we should probably
read " wynne," as the to is inserted above the line by the copyist, who
may not have known that infinitives are often used without it.
1233, 1234. " For that, in treason or guile, none should rob the
man," &c.
P. 218, 1. 1241. The conclusion answers to the passage in Orosius
" Philippus vcro,post longam et irritam obsidionem, ut pecuniam quam ob-
sidendo exhauserat, prsedando repararet, piraticam adgressus est." Orosius,
lib. iii., cap. xiii., ed. Havercamp, 1738, p. 174. We may readily imagine
that the poet, after a description of Philip's fleet and piratical expedi-
tions, would, on arriving at the passage " ad Scythiam quoque cum
Alexandra filio praedandi intentione pertrarisiit " revert to Alexander's
exploits at the mention of his name. No doubt also, instead of giving
the historical account, he must here have taken up the romance again
by relating Alexander's duel with Nicolas ; for which see Mr Stevenson's
edition and Weber's Metrical Romances.
But it may fairly be observed, that the portion of the Romance ex-
hibited in this fragment is, in a certain sense, complete. The whole
Romance may be divided into three parts : (1.) the infancy of Alexander;
(2.) his acts ; (3.) his death. The first of these is contained in the first
1201 lines of the fragment, and lines 1202 1249 do not properly belong
to the Romance at all. To add a sketch of the remaining two parts is
inexpedient, on account of the great length of the second part. The first
part is contained in the first 37 pages of Weber, whilst the whole Romance
occupies 327 pages.
2DO
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
ABBREVIATIONS, &C.
Dan. Danish. Du. Dutch. F. French. G. German. Lat. Latin. O.N. Old
Norse or Icelandic. A.S. or S. Anglo-Saxon. Su.G. Suio-Gothic (Ihre's Glossary).
Prompt. Parv. Promptorium. Parvulorum (ed. Way, Camden Soc.). P. PI. Piers
Plowman Ch. Chaucer. Roq. Roquefort's Glossaire de la Langue Romane.
Wycl. Gloss. Wycliffite English Glossary. adj. adjective, &c.
The following are used in a special sense v. a verb in the infinitive mood ; pr.
s. present tense, 3rd person singular ; pr. pi. present tense, 3rd person plural ; pt. s.
past tense, 3rd person singular ; pt. pi. past tense, 3rd person plural. Other
persons are denoted by 1 p. and 2 p. Also imp. is used for the imperative mood,
and pp. for the past or passive participle.
NOTE. Numbers with an obelus (f) prefixed, refer to the " Alisaunder."
The numbers refer to the lines of the two poems. For an account of the method
of reference in the former edition, see note at the end of this index.
A-, throughout the poem, is gener-
ally disjoined from the word of
which it forms a prefix or part,
and this is universally the practice
in MSS. of ancient English poetry.
In most, if not all, words of Saxon
origin it represents and is equiva-
lent to the S. on, an, of, or af, as a-
boute, a-dowi, a-drad, a-ioyned, a-
liue, a-niyt, a-slepe, a-wey, a-tcondred,
&c. The same rule holds good in
other branches of the Gothic
language. See Ihre and Wachter.
M.
A, int. ah ! 602, 663, 845, 928,
&c.
A, 2 p. s. imp. have, 978, 1177.
from the
iff 35 '
F. hunting phrase, etre aux abbots,
to stand at nay. See abbots in Cot-
grave, and abash in Wedgwood.
A-bate, v. to abate, 1141.
A-beye, ?;. S. to atone for, 2790.
Cf. abye in Chaucer.
A-bide, v. S. to wait for, await,
tarry for, 1131, 1732, 2269, 3072.
Abowed to, bowed down to,
1 1167.
A-buschid, pp. F. in ambush,
3634.
Ac, 106, Ac. )
Ak, 678, | conj. S. but.
Ek, 715, )
A-chape, 1248, \ v
A-schape, 1671, 1855,3013, J v '
to escape ; pp. a-chaped, 2805 ; a-
schaped, 2341, 2816; a-schapet,
2549.
Acorde, v. F. to agree, 2657. Ch.
A-cord, n. F. agreement, 2964. Ch.
A-coupyng, 3438, } -p . , fc
Coupyng, 3602, } n ' *' V1
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
251
pp. S. afraid,
terrified. A.S.
encounter. 0. F. acoper, heurter,
frapper au cote. Roq.
Acoyed, pt. s. enticed, 56. Ch.
See Coies.
A-cuntred, pt. pi. F. encountered,
3602.
A-day, 190, \ in a day, in the
A-daye, 610, j day-time.
A-doteJ), pr. s. grows silly, 2054.
See Doted.
A-doun, adv. down, 1073, 1244.
"See Taylor's Note on Tooke's
Diversions of Parley, v. I. p. ix,
ed. 8vo." M.
Adouted, pp. F. feared, dreaded,
t 33, 1 247, t 400.
A-drad,1980,2005, j
Adradde, 1783,
A-dredde, 4034,
on-drcedan.
A-fraied,^. afraid, 2158.
A-fri^t, pp. frightened, 2784. A. S.
frihtan.
Agast, pp. aghast, terrified, 1778.
A-gayn, adv. S. again, 395. See
A-^ayue.
A-gayn, 233 V g {
A-geynes, 1341, ] r
towards. See A-^eynes.
A-gelt. See A-gult.
A-greJ-ed 62 1 >.dressed,pre-
A-greijjed, 1598, f u
pared, made ready. See Greifce.
A-greued, pp. grieved, 641, 2116.
[Miswritten a-greues, in 1. 1076.]
A-grise, $>. afraid, terrified, 1743,
f 911, f 986. Ch, Cf. A.S. a-
grisan, to fear.
Agult, v. to offend, sin against,
4401 ; pp. a-gelt, 4391. A.S. a-
giltan.
A-hi^t, pt. s. was called, 586.
See Hi^t.
Ai, n. S. an egg, f 1004, f 1007.
Aie, n. S. awe, fear, f 1243.
A-ioyned, pp. F. adjoining, near,
1753.
Ak. See Ac.
A-knowe, pp. S. Always joined
with the verb ben, to be, as "was
aknowe," 421 ; " ich am aknowe,"
4391; "we &? aknowe," 4788. To
be aknowe = to be aware, to ac-
knowledge, confess. " Been a-
knowe wyl fully. Confiteor. Be
a-knowe a-geyne wylle. Fateor"
Prompt. Parv. Cf. A.S. on-cndwan.
Al, Alle, adj. S. all. " To write
correctly al should be used for the
sing. nom. and alle for the pi. (as
the S. eal and ealle] but the rule is
often violated, particularly in MSS.
of the 14th and subsequent cen-
turies. This observation might be
extended to a large class of adjec-
tives and substantives which have
now lost their final syllables." M.
Alt alle, At al, in all things, 283,
597. Al bothe, both of them, where
al is an expletive, 851. Al a ni^f,
all one night, all night, 2215. And
see Algate, Alway.
Alday, all day, 1682.
Alden, pp. holden, 1875. See
Halde.
Alder, elder, f 22.
Alder-, gen. pi. of all. Used only
with an adjective in the superl.
degree. Alder-aldmt, eldest of all,
f 27. Alderftrst, Alder-formest,
first of all, 3345, 4884.
Aides, pr. s. holds, 441. See
Halde.
A-legget,^/>. F. alleviated, allayed,
1034. See Allay in Wedgwood.
A-leide, pt. s. S. abolished, put
down, 5240.
Algate, Al-gate, in all ways, by
all means, always, 649, 948, 1064.
Ch.
A-liue, alive, 4235, 5279. [A.S.
on, life (Mat. 27. 63), which are two
separate words.]
. s. alighted, 399, 3923.
252
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Alrnauns, Germans, 1165.
A-losed, pp. F. praised, renowned,
f!39, 1174, f331, t577. See
Loos. Ch.
Alouten,v. to bow down to, f852;
pt. s. a-louted, bowed down, made
obeisance, 3721. A.S. hlutan.
Als, 996,3543,
as quickly as may be, very quickly,
3158. [A.S. eall-swd, whence 0. E.
0/-S0, alse, and #/,?, now contract-
ed into as, the words as and a/o
being etyniologically identical.]
Alto-shiuered, broke in pieces,
3603. See note to 1. 3884.
Al-way, adv. all the while, 345.
Alwes, n. pi. S. 371. Hal alwes
= all hallows, all saints.
Amased, pp. distracted, con-
founded, 686. See Mase.
Amendis, n.pl. amends, 488, 493,
3919.
A-meruailed, pp. F. astonished,
3857.
Amiddes, amidst, f 834. Ch.
Amonges, amongst, f 59. Ch.
An, put for And, 445, 884, 1538.
An, put for On, in phrase wel an
fiue myle=nearly five miles, 5110.
And, eonj. if, 3803, 4168. [In
1. 3803 it is written " &."]
Anger, n. anxiety, sorrow, 552.
A.S. ange.
An-honged,#p. S. hung up, 4773.
Ch.
A-ni3t,2920, } by night, by nights,
A-ni3tes,785, j at night. Ch.
Anker, n. anchor, 568.
A-non, Anon, adv. immediately,
813, 913. Anon rijt, Anon rnttes,
immediately, 273, 235.
Antresse (JAunteres), pr.s. adven-
tures, ventures, 1028. See Aunter.
apparel.
pp. pleased,
contented
A-paraile, 5028,
A-parrayl, 3224,
Aparaylde hem, apparelled them
selves, 1146.
A-paied, 1883, 5358,
Apai^ed, 1871, 4007, '
Apayed, 1, 1314,
See Paide.
Apeire, v. F. to impair, injure,
1 1244 ; pp. a-peyred, marred, 933.
"Appeyryn, or make wore." Prom.
Parv. Ch.
Apertly, A-pertli, adv. evidently,
plainly, 1, 4706. Ch.
Apes, 2299.
Arad,#p. divined, explained, f 647 .
See Arede.
Araie, 3367, ) n. F. array,
Aray, 1597, 1601, j order.
Araie, v. F. to array, dispose troops
in order, 3561 ; pp. a-raied, 1926,
1942 ; a-raid, 1934 ; a-rabed, 3375,
3563 ; arayed, 1153.
Are, adv. S. ere, before, 226;
superl. arst, q. v. See Er.
Are-blast, n. F. arblast, a kind of
crossbow, f 268. From Lat. arcus
and balista.
Areche, v. S. to reach, f 441.
Arede, v. to divine, expound,
1 573; to read, f 838 ; pp. arad, q.v.
A.S. a-rcedian.
A-redili, adv. S. readily, easily,
5006, 5026, 5230.
A-reise, v. S. to raise, 4342.
Aren, are; 2p.pl. 2665 ; 3 p. pi.
615. See Arn and Ben.
Arere, v. S. to raise, f 360 ; pt.
pi a-rered, 2645. See Wycl. Gloss.
Arewe, n. S. an arrow, 885.
Arise. See A-ros.
Armed, pp. fortified, emboldened,
courageous, |1095.
Armure, armour, 3769.
Arn, are; 2 p. pi. 106, 3123;
GLOSS ARIAL INDEX.
253
3 p. pi. 1694, 5131. See Aren and
Ben.
Arnd, errand, 5287. See Erand.
A-ros, pt. s. arose, 810, 2744,
3270 ; arise, 2737 ; pp. arise, 1297.
The form arise = arose occurs in
both texts o/La^amon, 1. 25988.
Artou, 5157, )
i OK f\ } art thou.
Artow, 1250, j
Arst, snperl. adv. first, before,
2737, 3046, 4154, 4863, 5403 ; at
arst = at first, i. e. for the first
time, 1028.
As = has, 2029.
A-saie, v. F. to essay, try, 3754 ;
pp. a-saide, 637, 4984.
A-saute, Asaute, n. F. an assault,
f95, fl45, f262; pi. a-sautes,
2708 ; a-sawtes, 4221.
A-schamed, pp. ashamed, 1035.
A-schape. See A-chape.
Aschis, n. pi. S. ashes, 4368.
Aschried,^. s. 3895, ) .,
A-schri 3 ed,^... 3827,^^
Ascried,^.^. 3814, ) 01
called out to. 0. Fr. escrier. Cf.
ascry in Ch.
A-seged, pp. F. besieged, 4224.
A-segned, pp. F. assigned, 581.
Cf. A-signed in 1. 3627.
Asele, v. F. to seal, f 829.
A-sembled, pp. F. assembled,
1120, 1288; pt. s. a-sembled to,
attacked, 3425 ; pt. pi. a-sembled,
met in a hostile manner, encoun-
tered, 3409; a-sembleden, 3815.
Cf. Sembul.
A-sent, n. F. assent, 1300.
A-sent, v. F. to assent, 482,
2692 ; pp. a-sented, 538.
Asise, n. F. site, situation, 4451.
A-slepe, S. asleep, 792, 798, 839.
Spelt a-slape, 1995.
A-spie, v. F. to spy after, watch
after, 774 ; pp. a-spied, 2577.
A-spyes, n. pi. F. spies,
Assone as, as soon as, 4345.
Astate, n. F. state, condition,
5376. 0. F. estat. Ch.
A-stente, v. S. to stop, 1527. See
Stint.
Astit, adv. very soon, 3943. See
Tit.
A-stoneyd, pp. F. astonished, 880.
Astow, hast thou, 4724.
A-strangeled, pp. strangled, 150.
0. F. estraindre.
Aswi]?e, as soon as might be, very
soon, 3555, 3811. See SwiJ?e.
A-teyned,^>. s.F. extended, 5498.
A-tir, n. F. attire, dress, 1721,
3183 ; equipment for battle, 1147 ;
atyr, 1428.
A-tired, pp. F. equipped, 1228.
See A-tyred.
A-tiryng, n. dress, apparel, 1941.
Atling, n. preparation, a getting
ready, f 268.
Attele, ) v. to go towards, ap-
Attely, ) proach, 205 ; to con-
jecture, aim at, judge, 404 ; 1 p.
pr. atteli (= attele i), I intend, I
design, 3220 ; 3 p. pr. attles, goes
towards, f 109 ; pt. s. atteled,
guessed, conjectured, 813 ; att-
lede, 861, 941, 1015 ; attelede,
went towards, 1760 ; pt. pi. ettele-
den, went towards, 272. North E.
and Sc. ettle, 0. N. atla, to aim at,
intend, design.
Atte, Att, at the ; in the following.
Att best, Atte dest,&t the best, 1142,
1575, 4121 (cf. atte best in 1. 4283
with at te best in the line follow-
ing) ; atte cherche,&t the church,
1961 ; atte de\>e, 1511 ; atte fulle,
4916; atte last, at the last, 1389 ;
atte roche, at the rock, 2367 ; in all
which cases the article seems to be
comprehended in the second syl-
lable. But in atte hese, at ease, 3208,
and atte wille, 1414, atte seems to
254
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
be no more than the preposition at.
And it is certain that atte=at and
no more, in the following : atte
here herte, at her heart, 539 ; atte
J?<? day, 1599 ; atte \>e best, 4186 ;
att aile, in all things, wholly, 283.
The spelling atte being adopted to
signify at te or at \>e, it was erro-
neously used instead of at in other
cases.
Attese, at ease, 1295.
Atwinne, adv. S. in two, asunder,
5450. Ch.
A-tyred hire, pt. s. dressed her-
self, 1706 ; pp. dressed, 1997, 5043.
Auenantli, 3784, } -,
Auenauntli, 4885, 5040, j a
suitably, well, courteously.
Auentayle, n. F. The movable
front to a helmet, and through
which the wearer breathed, 3608.
" Ventaille, the breathing part of a
helmet, the sight of the beaver."
Cotgrave.
Auenturre, adventure, 4921.
Aught, pt. s. S. possessed, owned,
f 14, f 173, f 237, A.S. dgan, pt. t.
ic dhte. See Out.
Aught too long, ought to belong,
f547.
Aunceteres, n. pi. ancestors, 5133.
Aunter, n. F. adventure, occur-
rence, f 1017 ; pi. aunteres (ad-
ventures), f 109.
Aunter, v. F. to adventure ; aunter
hem out=to adventure themselves
out, 3268 ; pr. s. antresse, 1028 ;
pt. s. auntred, ventured, went about
seeking an entrance, f 1027 ; aun-
tred hym, f 290 ; pt. pi. auntred
hem, f 230 ; auntred hym till,
ventured against him, f902.
Auntrose, adj. F. adventurous
hence, dangerous, 921. " Awnte-
rows, or dowtefulle. Fortunalis,for-
tuitus." Prompt. Parv.
A-vowe, n. F. a vow, 532. Ch.
A-wai, 735,
A-waie, 578, o
A-wey,1280, ^ & away.
A-weye, 221, J
A-waked, _2tf. s. awoke, 677 ; pp.
a-waked, 679; imp. pi. a-wakes,
2049.
Awe, n. S. in " for loue ne for
awe," 5430. Eor this expression,
see also f 1243. "The phrase
appears at length in Speculum is-
tius Mundi, MS. Reg. 17, B. xvii.
Thou shalt not spare for no drede,
Nefor loue to. God nefor Ms aice,
To go out of the right lawe." M.
A-wede, v. to lose the senses,
become mad, 45, 1750 ; 1 p. pr. s.
a-wede, 3185. A.S. a-wedan.
A-weite, v. F. to observe sedulous-
ly, espy, 2415 ; pt. s. a-wayted,
1711, 1890; a-weited, 791. Cf.
Waitc.
A-weiwardes, away, 2188.
A-went, pp. gone away, 1672.
A-wondred, 872, 2389, ) ^p.aston-
A-wondered,310,392, j ished.
A.S. a-wundrian.
A-wrek, 2111, ] v. S. to
A-wreke, 1128, 3422, j avenge;
pt. s. awrak, wreaked, f 934.
Ax, v. S. to ask, require, f 1 41. Ch.
Ay, adv. S. ever, always, 615,
2239, 2849.
Ayme, v. F. to estimate, compute,
1596, 3819, 3875 ; pp. aymed,
5010. 0. F. esmer.
A-jayne, adv. S. again, 5235 ; a-2e,
4256, 5172 ; a-^en, 1837 ;-a-
^ein, 270 ; a-^eine, 1508 ; a^eyn,
1921; a^en lepes=runs back, re-
turns quickly, 1973.
A-^ejnes,prep. S. against, towards,
1264, 1341 ; a-^enis, 3533 ;a-
2ens, 2371 ; ajene, 12 ; a-2e,
f333.
A^en-turn, n. retreat, way of
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
255
escape, 4182. See ^ain-torn ; and
cf. A^enturned in Wycl. Gloss.
Bacheler, n. F. a bachelor, i. e. a
novice in arms, 840, 1136 ; pi.
bachilers, 1477. See Bacheler in
Roq.
Baden. See Bidde.
Baie. See Abaie.
Baili, a. F. a steward, 5387. See
Bailleul in Roq.
Baite, 1723, } v. to set on a dog,
Bayte, 11, ) to bait (a bear).
0. N. beita. See Abet in Wedg-
wood.
Bakkes, n. pi. 2096, outer clothes
(?) A word of doubtful meaning.
Sir P. Madden conjectured it to
mean " cheeks, from the Teutonic
backe,Cz\i. boch, which the Romans
formed into bucca. Vide Wachter
and Haltaus, in v. and Meusel's
Wurzel- Worter, p. 216." Stratmann
suggests that it is another form of
bac/ges, used for clothes. The con-
text favours such a rendering ;
" rent all his clothes " is more likely
than " rent all his cheeks ; " but
whether we are to connect the word
with bag or with back is hard to
tell, yet it may mean no more than
a covering for the back, as in Chau-
cer, Chan. Yem. Prol. 1. 328, where
another reading for bak is bratt. Cf .
dowell it hatte
To breke beggeris bred & bakken
hem with clotys.
Piers. PL ed. Skeat, A. xi. 184.
Indeed, the phrase "oure bakkes
that moth-eten be," as used in P.
PI. Pass. X. of Text B (p. 195 of
Wright's edition), convinces me
that this last explanation is right.
Curiously enough, as if to remove
all doubt, the word bakkes, as there
used, is, in MS. Laud 581, actually
glossed by the Latin panni.
Bale, n. S. sorrow, misfortune,
evil, 107, 134, 460, 741, f 56 j
harm, i. e. a pity, f 1170 ; bal,
1819; pi. bales, 476, 1055.
Baleful, adj. S. harmful, unfor-
tunate, 1815 ; balefull = harm-
ful, f 272.
Balfulli, adv. miserably, 3959,
4261 ; balfully = harmfully, hurt-
fully, 84, 1202.
Bane, n. S. a ban, proclamation,
edict, 2252.
Banne, v. S. to ban, to curse, 476,
1644 j pt. s. banned, 2100.
Baret, n. embarrassment, trouble,
486, 5518. Cf. 0. P. barat, 0. N.
baratta.
Barge, n. a ship, 2767, 2807. See
Glossary to Romans of Partenay.
Barm, n. S. the lap, f 1004. Ch.
Barn, Barne, n. S. a child, 9, 16,
18, f!020; a man, 812, 1491;
gen. sing, barnes, 100, 2230 ; pi
barnes, 187. See Burn.
Barnage, n. F. baronage, nobles,
4797.
Bataile, n. F. a battalion, squad-
ron, 3783 ; pi. batailes, 3561, 3562 ;
batayles, 1152.
Baucynes, n. pi. badgers, 2299.
"The term occurs in Juliana
Berners, spelt Bausyn, and in the
Prompt, rarv. is 'Bawstone, or
bawsone, or a gray ' [see Mr
Way's note]. It is not uncommon
in writers of the 16th or 17th
century, and is still retained in
Cheshire. See Todd's Johnson,
Nares, and Wilbraham. The root
is evidently the Celtic bal or baizhl
(see Bullet, in v.), whence the F.
balsan, Ital. balzano, applied to an
animal with a white streak or spot
in the face or foot. Hence also is
derived the Sc. bawsand, brindled.
See Jamieson." M. Cf. pie-bald,
and Bawson in Wedgwood.
Bayte on, v. to set on a dog at
anything, 11. See Baite.
Be, Bi, prep. S. \>y, passim. "When
256
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
compounded with verbs, the ortho- |
graphy is perpetually interchanged.
Be = been, 4103. See Ben.
Beaute, n. F. beauty, 4534 ;
beuaute, 4074.
Bed, Bede. See Bidde.
Bedes, pr. s. offers, f 947. Cf.
f 260. A.S. beodan. Ch.
Bedes, n. pi. S. prayers, beads,
3024. See Bead in Wedgwood.
Be-dolue, pp. buried, 5252. See
Doluen.
Begonne, pp. gone about, i. e.
surrounded, f 698. Cf. Bi-go.
See Begone in Wedgwood.
Be-hilde, beheld, 2783.
Behi^t. See Bihote.
Be-honged, pp. S. hung about,
5015.
Be-houes, 2349, i behoves, is suit-
Be-houis, 1815, ) able for.
Be-kenned. See Bikenne.
Be-knowe, pp. S. aware, 2172.
Belaunce, n. F. balance, 948.
Beleue, v. S. to remain, f 69. A.S.
be-lifan.
Bellyng, part. pres. bellowing,
1891. "Dame Juliana Berners
confines the term to the noise made
by a deer, in which sense it occurs
in Gawin Douglas, Virg. Prol. 94,
26. But in the Prompt. Parv.
we have ' Bellyn, or lowyn as nette
(roryn). Mugio? and c Belly nge, of
rorynge of bestys (bellinge of nete).
Mugitus: " -M. See Bell in Wedg-
wood.
Be-maked, pp. made, 5060.
Bemes, n. pi. S. trumpets, 1154.
Ch.
Ben, Bene, v. S. to be, 464, 1930;
2 p. s. pr. (with a future significa-
tion), bestow, shalt thou be, 344 ;
3 p. s. pr. be)?, 547 ; 2 p. pi. pr.
ben, 3148, bene, 1672 ; 3 p. pi. pr.
bene, 4217, ben, 946 ; bu>, 4447 ;
imp. pi. beth, 3797 ; pp. be, 1943,
3957. See Bi, Arn, Aren.
Be-nom, pp. taken away, 2450.
A.S. be-niman.
Beraften, pt. pi. bereft of, f 81.
Bere, n. a violent noise ; here ap-
plied to the barking of a hound, 43.
See Wycliffite Glossary, s. v. bire ;
La^amon (glossary), s. v. z'bere ;
Stratmann, s. v. bere. Jamieson
refers it to Su-G. boer, the wind.
Sir F. Madden and Stratmann
refer it to A.S. ge-bare, which,
however, generally means a gesture.
It may be an imitative word, like
birr, buzz.
Bere-felles, n. pi. S. bear-skins,
2430, 2560. See Fel.
Berem-chaunce, n. chance of pro-
geny, conception, t 971. For the
spelling, cf. Berem-tem in Genesis
8f Exodus, ed. Morris, 1, 3903.
Bern, n. S. a man, f 212, f 219.
See Barn, Burn.
Be-seme, 2 p. pi. pr. seem, appear
(to be), 1742 ; 3. pi. pr. be-semen,
2529.
Be-sewed. See Bi-sowe.
Bestow. See Ben.
Bet,^. s. S. he beat, 1073, f 300.
Bet, adv. S. better, 172, 344,
1012 ; bett, f 504; cf. the phrase
more beter, 4279.
Bete, v. S. to make better, to
better, repair, 3167 ; pi. s. bet,
3960. A.S. betan,.
BeJ>, it shall be, 547. See Ben.
Be-J)out, Be-Jjou^t. See Bi-J?enke.
Beurde. See Burde.
Beurne. See Burn.
Be-wrapped, pt. s. wrapped up,
1735.
Be-wrie, v. S. to bewray, 2435.
Bi, Be, prep. S. by, passim.
Bi, be thou, 322 ; bi ^iue, be given,
2254. \_As bi, be (= by) are of fen
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
257
interchanged, in both places we should
rather read be.]
IBi-cast, pp. beset, 2287. For all bi-
cast an equivalent phrase is um-
becast. See 1. 4693.
Bi-cheche, 1 p. s. pr. I beseech,
1258.
Bi-com, pt. s. became, 881 ; pp.
bi-come, in phrase were bi-come =
had gone to, 222 ; it bi-comes = it
goes to, 911.
Bidde, 1 p. pr. s. T ask or pray
for, 4754 ; pr. s. biddes, 5539,
t 947 ; I p. pt. s. bed, I asked for,
borrowed, f 457 (where the MS.
;gloss " had " is wrong) ; pt. s. bede,
5490 ; pt. pi. baden, 4797 ; imp.
pi. biddi]?, 5534; part. pres. bidd-
ande, 3024 ; pp. bede, 2410. A.S.
biddan.
Bi-falle, v. S. to befal, 547 ; pp.
bi-falle, 2475, 4169.
Bi-forn, adv. S. before, 428.
Bi-gat him, procured for himself,
177.
Biggen, v. S. to buy, f 1215.
Bi-go, pp. S. beset, f 490, f 994.
See Begorine, and Bigoo in Ch.
Bi-gunne, pt. pi. began, 2555.
Bi-hest, 600,
By-hest, 57,
Bi-het. See Bi-hote.
Bi-hilde, pt. s. S. looked, beheld,
2783 ; bi-huld, 2426 ; pp. bi-hold,
683.
Bi-hote (spelt by-hote), v. S. to
promise, 3688 ; 2 p. s. imp. bi-hote,
2135; pt. s. bi-het, 4376, 4647;
bihwt, 576 ; pt. pi. bi-l^t, 4649 ;
pp. be-hi^t, 606.
Bi-huld. See Bi-hilde.
Bi-houes, it behoves, 729 (cf. 1.
723) ; pt. s. bi-houed, 2720.
Bi-kenne, v. S. to commit to the
charge or protection of another ;
I/?, s. pr. bi-kenne, 5434 ; pt. s. bi-
kerined, 350 ; be-kenned, 371 ; pt. \
pi. bi-kenned, 5454. Cf. Bt-teche,
and Kenne.
Biker, n. fight, battle ; bedes hem
biker = offers them battle, f 947.
" Bikyr of fy tyuge. Puyna." Prom.
Parv. See Way's note.
Bikering, n. conflict, attack, f390.
Bi-komsed, pt. pi. commenced,
2523. See Comse.
Bileue, v. transitive, S. to leave
behind, 2577 ; pt. s. (intrant.) bi-
laft, stayed behind, remained, 2385;
pt. pi. bi-laft, 2890.
Bilfoder, 81, )
Bilfodur; 1838, p- P rovisions -
"Perhaps from the S. b>/lr/, the
belly, and fodder, food." M. Cf.
belly-timber) food, in Halliwell.
Bi-liue. See Bliue.
Bi-reft, 1 p. s. pt. bereaved, de-
prived of, 4628 ; pp. biraft, f 394.
Bi-schet, pp. S. shut up, immured,
2014, Ch.
Bi-seget, pt. s. besieged, 2650 ;
bi-seged, 2843.
Bi-seme, 2 p. pi. pr. seem, appear
(to be), 1733. See Be-seme.
Bi-set, j*. >Z. beset, 2281 ; bi-sett,
2927; bi-sette, 1214; bi-setten,
set forth, employed, f 437.
Bi-side, adv. S. 3, 1889.
Bi-sowe, v. S. to sew up, 1689;
pp. be-sewed, 3117.
Bi-stint, pt . s. made calm, f 1183.
" Styntytf or make a thynge to
secyri' of his werke or mevyuge.
Obsto. Prom. Parv.
Bi-stode, pt. s. S. stood near, ap-
proached, 175.
Bi-teche, v. S. to commit to the
charge of any one, entrust, recom-
mend, 5184 ; pt. s. bi-tok, 66, 4167;
pt. pi. bi-taujt, 5211 ; pp. bi-taint,
5289. A.S. be-t&can.
Bi-]?enke, v. S. to think attentive-
ly, consider ; 2 p. s. imp. bi-^enke,
3057 ;pt. s. bi-Jjout, 2748 ; be-^out,
17
258
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
290, 2370 ; be-f>ou3t him, 2773 ; bi-
Jjou2t hire, 630, 650; pt. pi. bi-
Jout hem, 4776 ; be-^out, 2410.
Bi-tide, v. S. to befal, 730 ; pt. s.
bitid, 4087; bitide, 7; bi-tidde,
1211 ; by-tidde, 32.
Eitraide, pp. betrayed, t 223.
Bitterly, adv. S. painfully, 2083.
Bi-weped, pp. covered with tears,
661.
Bi-3ete, n. S. progeny, 2303.
Blake-beries,n.j S. blackberries,
1809.
Ble, n. S. complexion, 3083;
blee,t 202,1578.
Blenched, pp. blemished, hurt,
2471. " Blemschyde, blemysshed.
Obfuscatus. Blenscnyn, blemysshen,
Obfiaeo" Prompt. Parv. See
Blemish in Wedgwood.
Blessed, pt. s. 1192. Sir F. Mad-
den explains it by " wounded, in-
flicted wounds," from the E. blesser.
Or it may mean that he waved or
brandished his sword, as in Spenser.
F. Q. I. v. 6, and Fairfax's Tasso,
ix. 67.
Blesseden, pt. pi. blessed, 196.
Blefeli. See Blijjeliche.
Bleynte, pt. pi. looked, 3111.
[Lit. blinked; cf. Du. and G.
blinken. Sw. blinka. Dan. blwke.~]
Blinne, v. S. to pause, cause,
leave off, 55, f 398 ? P f - s - % nd >
t 110 ; 2 p. g. imp. blinne, 322 ; 1
p. pi. imp. blynne, f 1202.
Blisful, adj. S. happy, 1055;
blessed, 1669.
Blipeliche, adv. S. merrily, with
good will, 819 ; blejeli, 1144, 1994 ;
in the latter place it means in sport.
Bliue,1705,t259, ) , s ik _
Biliue, 248, ) a
ly ; as bliue, as quickly as might
be, 379; as biliue, 351.
Blonk, n. a horse, 3326, 3362 ;
///. blonkes, 5041, f 435. " In old
Teutonic, planchaz means a white
horse, and the root is to be found
in the Su. G. and Franc, blank, still
preserved in the F. blanc. See Ihre
and Jamieson." M.
Blowand, pres. part, blowing,
3358.
Bobaunce, n. F. pride, boasting,
presumption, always in phr. "bo-
baunce and bost," 1071, 1129,
3358. See Boban in Roq.
Bod, n. S. abiding, delay, 149.
Bode, n. S. a message, tidings, an
order, 2145, 2154, 3767.
Bodiesse, n. pi. bodies, 3767.
{Should be spelt bodies; but cf.
Antresse, Hayresse.]
Bogeysliche, adv. S. in a boasting,
boisterous, or bold manner, 1707.
"In the Prompt. Parv. is ' Bog-
gyschely, Tumide/ and in Ray's S.
and E. Country Words, ' Bogge,
bold, forward, sawcy.' " M. See
also Baffffe in Prompt. Parv. and
Bulge in Wedgwood.
Boi^es, gen. sing, boy's, 1705.
Bolaces, n. pi. bullaces, a sort of
plum or sloe, 1809. Used by
Chaucer, Horn. Rose, 1377. See
Bolleche in Roq.
Boles, n. pi. S. bulls, 2299.
Bolstrau^t, pp. prostrate, stretched
on the belly, 1852. From A.S.
balg, the belly, and streccan, to
stretch.
Bonde, pi. adj. S. (put for bonde
men}, bondsmen, villains, as opposed
to the orders of barons and burgesses,
2128. Cf, "Barouns and burgeis
and bonde men also." Piers Plow-
man; A. prol. 96.
Bonden, pp. S. bound, 2238 ; pt.
pi. bounden, 1219.
Bone, n. S. boon, prayer, 1095,
4410; entreaty, f612.
Bonke, n. S. bank, shore, 2718.
Bonure, adj. F. courteous, affable,
332. See Debonureli.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
259
Bordes, n. pi. S. 5070.
Bore, pp. S. born, 240 ; spelt
borne, 510.
Borwe, n. S. borough, town, 1889,
2221; borowe, f 30 ; borw }
2835; pi. borwes, 2123; borous,
f 928. $?<? Burw.
Borw^, n. (the same word as the
above}, a place of shelter, 9. A.S.
beorh. Cf. the term, "a rabbit's
burrow"
Borwed,jp#. s. S. borrowed, 1705.
Bost, n. boast, pride, 1141. And
see Bobaunce.
Bot, conj. S. but, unless, except,
497, 2008 ; also spelt but, 627. But
^if, unless, 472. Cf. Bout.
Bot, n. S. a boat (?) 4632. Or else
boute bot = boute bod, without
delay, as in 1. 149.
Bote, n. S. remedy, 627, 741,
959, &c. ; do bote = provide a
remedy, 1378.
Botles, adj. S. without remedy,
134, 1819 ; botlesse, 540 ; botte-
les, 896 ; botelesse, 1539.
Botned, pp. S. bettered, cured,
1055. Cf. Bete.
Bouf, n. F. beef, 1849, 1868.
Boun, adj. ready, 1088, 1138,
1144 ; bonne, 1 160, f 228.
Bounden. See Bonden.
Bour, n. S. bower, chamber, 657,
1971; boure, 1760, | 772. See
Burw^-maidenes.
Bourde, n. F. a jest, 1705. Ch.
Bourdes, n. sing. F. a tournament,
jousting. See Behordeis in Roq.
The word is probably (like many
other war terms) of Teutonic
origin.
Boute, prep. S. without, 149, 211,
567, 812.
Bouwes, pr. s. bows, inclines, 948.
Bowes, n. pi. S. boughs, 23.
Boxumly, adv. S. courteously,
332. See Buxumli.
Brag, adj. or adv. bold, boastful,
or boastfully, 2352 ; sup. braggest,
bravest, 3048. Cf. " Hy schulde
nou2t beren hem so bragg" P. PI.
Crede, 1. 706. See Braguer in Cot.
Braides, pr. s. moves quickly,
hurries, f 1081 ; braydes, 149 ;
braides him, departs quickly,
1 1004 ; ft. s. braid doun, threw
aown or beat down ; braide, awoke,
started up, f 724, 686, cf. 1. 2096 ;
rushed, 3848 ; drew quickly, 1867.
0. N. bregZa. Cf. Abrayde in Ch.
Braundise, v. F. to fling about
(as a horse), f 1122 P^ 5 -
braundised, 3294 ; pres. part, bran-
dissende, waving (their weapons),
2322.
Brayn-wod, adj. S. brain-mad ?
i.e. mad, furious, 2096. See P.
PI. A. x. 61.
Bredde, pt. pi. S. went hurriedly,
hurried, 1782. " The sense of breed
is evidently not admissible here.
Cf. Braides." M.
Brede, n. S. breadth, 3055 ; a
peny brede, a penny's breadth,
1 1244.
Brem, Breme, adj. S. (of very
common occurrence, and with many
meanings} notable, bold, strong,
fierce, &c. ; (applied to men) 3641,
(bears) 1689, (beasts) 1699, (a
child) 18, (a battle) 1157, (a host)
3767, (a duke) 1141, (deeds) 1387,
(blood) 3861, (an oar) 4700, (a
time) f!020, (a god) f 533, (a
tablet) 1 615, &c. ; sup. bremest,
1686, 2936. Ch.
Bremli, adv. S. fiercely, 3294 ;
exceedingly, 2158 ; - - bremely,
loudly, 23 ; bremly, fiercely,
4343'; bremlich, boldly, f 1001.
Sup. bremliest, most decisively,
948.
Brenne, v. S. to burn, 1133,
2123, 4261 ; pt. s. brent, 1071,
17
260
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
1109 ; pp. brent, 363-1, 4367 ;
brend, 2646, f 729.
Breres, n. )l- briars, 1809.
Bretages, n. pi. F. parapets of a
wall, ramparts. 0. F. bretesche
(see Roq.), Low Lat. brestachia.
Brejjer, n. pi. S. brothers, 2641.
[The nom. pi. in A.S. is broSra,
brofcru, brofcor, or brofcur.]
Brid, n. S. a bird, f814; pi.
briddes, 29, 179, 819.
Bridhale, n. S. bridal, 4947.
Brit, bright, 3572.
Brode, adj. S. broad, 754, 1674;
brod, 1732.
Brode, adv. S. in phr. to brode=
too wide apart, too far, 11.
Brodes, pr. s. publishes abroad,
proclaims, f 122.
Brond, 1244, \ n. S. a brand,
Bront, 1192, ) sword.
Broder, n. S. brother, 1 56. [Pro-
bably miswritten for broker ; cf.
4938.]
Brout, brought, 3959 ; brou^t of
liue = brought out of life, killed,
1159.
Brusten, v. to injure severely,
destroy, 154. Cf. Dan. brost, hurt,
damage.
Brusure, n. F. a bruise, wound,
2461.
Bruten, n. S. to destroy, 3760 ;
bruttene, 1133 ; pt. s. brutned,
1073, 1202, t888;^./?/.bruttened,
2647 ; pp. bruttenet, 206. Swed.
bri/ta; Dan. bryde; A.S. brylan,
breotan.
Bugles, n. pi. F. 1154.
Burd, n. S. a lady, maiden,
damsel, f715; burde, 683, 765,
812, 830, f 670 ; beurde, t 202,
t 205 ; pi. burdes, 3669, 5017 ;
beurdes, f 228. Burde no barn,
neither man nor maid, 1971.
Burgeis, n. F. a burgess, 1889;
pi. burgeys, 2128, 5017.
Burn, n. S. a man, 332, 510, 511,
657, &c. burne, 444, 477 : beurn,
f9, fllO; pi. burnes, 617, 1129;
beurnes, f 2.
Bur)>enes, n. pi. S. burdens, 2555.
Burw, n. S. a town, 5335 ; pi.
burwes, 1073, 1109 ; the same as
Borwe, q. v.
Burwi-maidenes, n. pi. S. bower-
maidens, attendants, 3071. See
Bour.
Buschen, v. to move about brisk-
ly, 173. See Buske.
Busily, adv. S. industriously,
eagerly, carefully, 650, 2181, 2210 ;
busili, 2577.
Busk, n. F. a bush, 3062, 3069 ;
busch, 3101, 3111.
Buske, v. to brush about, hurry
about, hurry, 2210 ; busk to or
buske to, to hurry towards, 1968,
2264; busk of or buske of, to
hurry from, 1653, 1997 ; pr. pi.
busken, f 426, f 433 ; 1 p. s. pt.
busked, f 612 ; pt. s. busked, 1085 ;
(prepared), 3196 ; busked to, 1707,
2055 ; buskede him or busked him
(went), 21, 1863 ; pt.pl. busked (pre-
pared), 1152; buskeden (hurried),
2819 ; busked hem (went quickly),
1530, 2477, 2770. See Buschen.
Icel. at buast. See Busk in Wedg-
wood.
But, conj. S. except, unless, 47 6,
627, 937, 972, f 368, &c. But aif,
unless, 758, 939 1276. See Bot.
Buj?, pr. pi. are, 4447. See Ben.
Buxum, adj. S. tractable, obedient,
2943 ; meek (applied to beasts),
2720, 2854, 3085, 4062. A,S.
bocsam.
Buxumli, 3717, 4972, | adv. S.
Buxumly, 2, 510, f meek;
boxumly, 332 ; comp. buxumlier,
723.
By, prep. S. near ; by j>at barn
"= near that child, 220.
GLOSS ARIAL INDEX.
261
Bygge, v. S. to build, construct,
f 1133. SwecL&y^ya; Dan.dggpv.
By-hote. to Bi-hote.
By-J)an, by the time that, 220.
Of. A.S. &? p^ ]>e.
Cacche, v. to catch, take, obtain,
get, 806, 2266, 2940 ;-kaeche,
2217 ; jar. s. caccheth, 3750 ; pt. s.
cau^t, 4302 ; pt. pi. camt, 1053,
1495, 2867; kau^t, 1053, 3374;
pp. cau^t, 4214 ; kau^t, 2531.
Caire, v. S. to return, travel, go,
5184; Ip.s.pr. cairest, 5190; pr.
s. cayres, 2977 ; pt. s. kayred, 373 ;
pt. fl. caired, 2714, 5324 ; cayred,
2201 ; kayred, 3734 ; imp. pi.
kairus, f 623 ; pres. part, cairende,
1922. A.S. ce'rran.
Calles, pr. pi. call, 239 ; pt. s.
cald, 887 ; calde, 1460.
(Can) can, know, acknowledge ;
in the past tense, could, knew, inf.
kenne, f 623 ; 1 p. s. pr. kan,
321, 635 ; con, 297 ; 1 p. pi. pr.
kunne, 4184 ; pr. pi. konne, 3334 ;
pt. s. cou]?e, 2, 174, 655 ; kowpe,
5055; kouj>e, 952; coude, 4378;
cou^de, 120 ; cou^e, 118 ; kende,
f 193 ; pt.pl. couj>e, 577; kowden,
4810; council, 1033; co|)en, 1576;
kende, f 367 ; pp. coup, known,
famous, 5053.
Care, n. S. care, grief, sorrow,
regret, 496 ; kare, 288, 424, 726,
743.
Careful!, adj. S. full of care or
anxiety, anxious, sorrowful, t 75,
f 244 ; causing care, woful, \ 295 ;
earful, 2201, 2860, 311 ; kar-
ful, 373, 3774.
Carestow, carest thou, art thou
sad, 3182. See Kares.
Carfti, adj. crafty, skilful, 3221.
{It should rather be crafti, but this
form is sometimes found. See Ro-
mans ofPartenay, 1. 5708.]
Carfulli, adv. S. sorrowfully, 4347;
carfuli, 152; karfulli, 3734.
Carpen, v. to speak, tell, talk,
t748; carpe, 4581; carp, 832 r
T 11 ; karpe, 2523 ; 1 p. s. pr. carp,
f 200, f 244 ; karp, f 172 ; pr. s.
carpes, f 693 ; karpes, f 585 ; 1
p. s. pt. karped, 5233 ; carped,
217;^. *. carped, f 72, 990; 1 p.
pi. imp. carpe, 2855 ; karpe, 4054.
Phrase io karp (karpe, carpp) J?e
soje, to tell the truth, 503, 2801,
655, f 683. " Carpyn or talkyn.
Fabidor" Prompt. Parv.
Carping, n. talking, speech, 4660;
karping, 3100.
Gas, n. F. chance, hap, fortune,
event, 326, 915, 2919 ; case, f 24 ;
bi cas, 595 ; for cas, ]037. Cli.
Cast, pt. s. cast away, i. e. lost,
881; caste, contrived, 1981. See
Kest.
Castel-werk, castellated work,
2220.
Castis, n. pi. events, 654.
Catel, n. F. wealth, possessions ;
gen. sing, cateles, f 376. Ch. See
Catels in Roq.
Caytif, n. F. a wretch, person of
low extraction, 710. Ch.
Cayreden, pt. pi. carried, 2520.
Ceput. See Kepe.
Certes, adv. certainly, verily, in-
deed, 732, 1380, 1500, &c. Ch.
Chambur, n. F. chamber, 685.
[MS. chanbur.]
Chamly, adv. S. shamefully, 2124.
Cf. Schamly.
Charge, n. F. load, 388.
Chase, chose, f 36. See Chese.
Chases, 2 p. pi. imp. chase ye,
1207.
Chast, v. to chasten, chastise, 729;
2 p. s. imp. chaste, 5157. P. PL
Chaul, n. S. jowl, jaw, f 1119.
A.S. ceole. Cf. chol in P. PL
Crede, and chall in Hartshorne'?
Salopia Antiqna.
Chaunche, n. F. chance, 137.
262
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Channeled, pt. s. enchanted (?)
[But we should perhaps read
chaunged.]
Chauntemens, n. pi. F. enchant-
ments, 654.
Che, pron. she, 462, 641, 2317.
Of. Sche, and Hue.
Chef, adj. F. chief, 3841 ; cheefe,
f 1210.
Cheffaren, v. to chaffer, bargain,
buy and sell, f 1210.
Chepinge, n. S. market, 1822 ;
fro chepinge ward, from towards
market, on the return from market,
1844.
Chere, n. F. countenance, look,
appearance, demeanour, 647, 4882,
5263. Ch.
Cherl, n. S. churl, countryman,
54, 60, 62, &c. ; cherle, 1675 j pi.
cherls, 513. Ch.
Cherli, adv. F. cheerily, kindly,
62.
Chese, v. to choose, f 770 ; pt. s.
ches, 4165 ; chees, f 321 ; chused,
f 140 ; imp. s. ches, 4161 ; pp. chuse
of = chosen by, beloved by, f4>9.
Ch.
Cheued forth, >.s. hastened forth,
f78. Cf. O.F. eschever, and see
esquiver in Cotgrave.
Cheuesed, pt. s. obtained, pro-
cured, f 966. See Chemr and Che-
vissance in Roq. and CJievis in Ch.
Mars and Venus, st. 37.
Cheueteyn, n. F. chieftain, 3379.
Child, n. S. child, 1822. " It is
here used for a person of gentle
birth, in opposition to cherl." M.
In 1. 541 it is used of a person of
mean birth, but grown up to man-
hood.
Chipmen, n. pi. S. shipmen,
sailors, 2811, 2818.
Choisli, adv. F. aptly, 1753;
choicelich, choicely, f 49.
Chold,^. s. should, 2014.
Choliers. See Kolieres.
Chortly, adv. S. shortly, 2035.
Choys, adj. F. choice, fair, 400.
Chul, (ye) shall, 3339.
Chused. See Chese.
Chylder, n. pi. S. children, f 36.
[The A.S. pi. is cildra, cildru.]
Clater<ed. See To-clatered.
Clene, adj. S. fair, noble, 1083,
1124, 1434 ; sup. clennest, 1609.
Clenli, adv. S. cleanly, fairly,
clearly, 3847; clenliche, 3477;
clanli, 3288.
Clepe, v. S. to call, 1299, 1977,
3181 ; 2/>. s.pr. clepus, 249; pr.pl.
clepun, 2221 ; pt. s. clepud, 56, 260,
274, 977, 1182 ; cliped, f 836 ;
kleped, f 476 ; pp. clepud, 1956 ;
cleped, f944; y-clepud, 121. Ch.
Cleppende. See Clipped.
Clere, adj. F. fair, fine (colour),
579 ; cler (strength), 2037.
Clerli, adv. F. finely, 4422.
Cleued, pt. s. cleaved, stuck, 734.
CleymeJ?, pr. s. calls out, calls,
4481. Lat. clamare.
Clipped, pt. s. S. embraced, 63,
1570 ; clipte, 672, 1265 ; dipt,
3205 ; clept, 675 ; clupte, 1587 ;
pt. pi dipt, 1833, 3100; pres.
part, clippend, 2808 ; cleppende,
2804 ; clipping, 1396 ; pp. clipped,
859.
Clipping, n. S. embracing, 1053,
3474.
Clou3tand, pres. part. S. mending,
clouting, 14. A.S. clut, a clout.
"The verb is preserved in Belgic
klutsen, kluteren, to cobble or
repair." M. Cf. Du. klotsen, to
strike on ; and see Clouted in Ch.
Cofli, adv. S. quickly, boldly,
f 1009 ; cofly, t 693, f 748 ;
A.S. cqflice.
Coies,^>r. s. soothes, coaxes, f 1 1 75.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
263
Cf. Acoyed. F. coi, from Lat.
quietus,
Col, n. coal, 2520 -pT. coles, 4367.
Colled, pt. s. embraced, 3032 ;
kolled, 69 ; pres. part, collinge,
2984. O.F. acoler. See Spenser,
F. Q. iii. 2, 34.
Com, pt. s. came, 39, 47, 61 ;
kom, 507 ; pt. pi. come, 151, 3363 ;
pp. come, 80, 816 , kome, 504 ;
komen, 513. Com bi = acquire,
1688.
Comande, Komande, commanded,
347, 1110. See note to 1. 347-
Come, n. S. arrival, 4192, 4953,
5222 ; kome, 807 ; coome, t 73 ;
cumme, 1 147.
Comen, adj. Lat. common, 6. See
Komwne.
Comfort, pt. pi. comforted, 1495;
pt. s. cumfort, 1512 ; pp. conforted,
380.
Comly, adj. comely, 294 ; com-
liche, 963, 2704 ; comelich, f 205 ;
comeliche, 987; komli, 873,
2858 ; curnlich, 1 18 ; cumly,
783.
Comliche,a?v. in a comely manner,
660; comeliche, 2220 ; komly,
51 ; komeliche, 423.
Compacement, n. F. contrivance,
stratagem, 1981.
Compers, n. pi. F. companions,
370. Ch.
Comse, v. F. to commence, begin,
2244 ; pr. s. komses, 616 ; pt. s.
comsed, 37, 194, 288, 579, &c. ;
comsede, 832 ; komsed, 1430 ;
cumsed, 424, 764. P. PI.
Comsing, n. F. commencement ;
fram comsing to >ende, from be-
ginning to end, 4869, 5092.
Con. See Can.
Confort, n. F. comfort, 1408.
Conforted, pp. comforted, 380.
See Comfort.
Coninge, n. F. cunning, skill, 120;
kuuning, f 643.
Conseyl, n. counsel, advice, 114 ;
cunsail, 595 ; cunsaile, 969 ;
cunseil, 2126 ; cunseyl, 2105 ;
c unsay le, 1118.
Contenaunce, n. F. countenance,
demeanour, 1401, 3076, 4900 ;
countenaunce, t 961; cun-
tenaunce, 1397 ; kuntenaunce,
942, 3323.
Conyng, adj. S. cunning, skilful,
653 ; cunning, f 463 ; konyng,
2917 ; comp. cunnyngere, 406 ;
sup. konyngest, 4810.
Conyng, n. pi. conies, rabbits, 182.
\The*ing. is conyng (JPycl. Glox*.\
and we should expect to find conynges
here, as in P. PI. ed. Wright, p. 12.
See Conynge in Halliwell, who calls
it Anglo-Norman. It is Teutonic ;
cf. Du. konijn, G. ka)/inchen.~\
Coraious, adj.'F. courageous, 3318;
koraious, 3352.
Corteys, adj. F. courteous, 194,
2704 ; curteyse, 406, 601 ;
curteise, 1397 ; kurtes, 4405 ;
curteys, 231 ; curtais, t 207.
Cortynes, n. pi. curtains, 2056.
Ch.
Come, pp. carved, cut, 3233.
Cosynes, n. F. female cousin, 625.
See the note.
Coude. See Can.
Coueiiabul, adj. F. meet, agree-
able, suitable, 4089 ; sup. couen-
ablest, 3219. Ch.
Coupyng, n. F. violent encounter,
3602. See Acoupyng.
Couren, pr. pi. F. cower, crouch,
3336 ; pt. s. koured, 47. See Koure.
Cournales, n. pi. F. battlements,
t 295. See Kerneles.
Coufe, adj. S. kind, affable, 3659.
Coujje, Cou3de, Cou3f>e, &c. See
Can.
Couwardli, adv. cowardly, 3336.
264
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Couyne, n. F. contrivance, plan,
3147; koueyne, 952. 0. Tr.
convine. See Roq. and Covyne in
Ch.
Coynt, adj. F. crafty, artful, skil-
ful, 653, 1981 ; coynte, 2824;
koynt, 4090 ; coynte crag (as we
say a sly corner}, 2850.
Coynted him, pt. s. made himself
acquainted, 464-1.
Coyntise,n.F. stratagem, art, 448,
1688, 1972 ; coyntice, 1665;
coyntyse, 1670, 1825.
Cracche, n. F. manger, 3233.
" Cracche, cratche, stall, crib, Job
vi. 5 ; Lk. ii. 7, 12, &c." WycL
Gloss.
Craft, n. 635 ; kraft, 559.
Crafti, adj. S. skilful, clever, 1681;
comp. craftier, 1680. See Carfti.
Craftli, adv. S. prudently, 3828.
Crep, pt. s. crept, f 1009 ; pt. pi.
crepten, 2235. See Krepe.
Cri, n. F. proclamation, 2249 ;
kri, 2174 ; kry, 5405.
Criande, pres. part, crying, 4347.
Crie mercy, to beg for mercy, 1276.
Croice, n. F. cross, 350, 3127 j
croyce, 1343, 3493.
Cristen, adj. Christian, 522.
Cumly, Cumme, Cumsed. See
Comly, Come, Comsed.
Cunstabul, gen. sing., constable's,
4212.
Cunter, n. F. an encounter, 1344.
Cuntre, n. F. country, 6 ;
kontrey, 241; kuntre, 1673;
kontre*, 722; pi. cuntreis, 1922;
kuntres, 5474.
Curtais, Curteise. See Corteys.
Curtesliche, adv. F. courteously,
233 ; curteysly, 274 ; curtesli,
347 ; curteisle, 353 ; kurteys-
lyche, 873 ; kurtesliche, 1430 ;
kurteisly, 1986 ; curteyseliche,
2662; kortesliche, 1430; &c.
See Corteys.
Cuuerede. See Keuer.
Dalt. See Dele.
Damisele, n. F. damsel, 401, 562,.
589 ; pi. damiseles, 1978.
Dar, 1 p. pres. s. I dare, 564,,
938 ; der, 2169 ; Ip.s. pt. dorst,
2040; pt. s. dorst, 305.
Dar, pr. s. in the phrase " dar no-
mon hem wite," no one need blame
them, 2434. " It is equivalent here
to tharf, from S. \earj "an, Teut.
darfen,'tQ need." M. See Thort.
Dared, pt. s. looked dazed, stared
as if stupeh'ed, gazed fixedly, 4055.
See Way's note on " Daryn " in,
Prompt. Parv. Ch.
Darked, pt. s. lay hid, lurked, 17,.
44, 2543 ; pi. darkeden, 1834 ;
darked, 2851.
Dawe, n. S. day, in phr. brou^t
of dawe = bereft of life, 3818 (cf.
f 56) ; pi. dawes, 77, 3704, 4719 ;.
daywes, 570; daies, 5490. [When
the pi. takes the form dawes.
(daywes) it is preceded by lif.]
Dawe, v. S. to dawn, 3261 ; pt. s^
it dawed, 1791, 2218, 2480.
Debate, n. F. strife, 2779 ;
debat, 4380.
Debonureli, adv. F. courteously,,
meekly, 730. Cf. Bonure.
Ded, dead ; in phr. " ded as dore-
nail," 628, 3396. [In P. PI. ed.
Wright, p. 26, we have " as deed
as a dore-tree," where the earlier
text has " ded as a dore-nayl."
See P. PI. A. i. 161.]
Dedain, n. F. disdain, f 313.
O.F. desdaing.
Dedaine, adj. F. disdainful, f584.
Dede, n. S, deed, 1197 ; an ac-
tion, i.e. a battle, 1137, 1187;.
pi. dede, 3807 ; dedes, 1368 ;.
dedus, 1096, 3406, 4115.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
265
Dede, n. S. death, 2072 ; usually
deth, as in 151.
Dede, did. See Do.
Dedut, n. F. pleasure, 4998.
Deerne. See Dern.
Defaute, n. F. default, 1185.
Defoyled, pt. pi. F. trampled on,
depressed, 4614.
Degised. See Disgised.
Deie, v. to die, 546, f 375 ; dei,
696 ; deyen, 3353 ; 1 p. s. pr.
dei^e, 4349 ; deie, 919 ; 1 p. pi
pr. deuen, 3898 ; pt. s. deide, 1322,
f 1013 ; deyde, 113 ; pt. pi. deyde,
1407.
Del, n. S. part ; furj>e del = fourth
part, 1284. Cf. Ten|>edel.
Del, n. F. dool, sorrow, 349,
1510 ; dol, 781, 2054 ; doel,
] 909 ; dool, 88 ; doole, f 242,
f613, f926; dul, 2757 ; duel,
564. 919, 1318, 1321, 1370, 1647,
&c.
Delfulli,a<iy. sorrowfully grievous-
ly, 1980 ; dolfulli, 2434 ;-doole-
fully, f 32 ; dulfulli, 2335, 4371 ;
duelfulli, 578. 3422. See also
Dulfull.
Dele, v. S. to deal, deliver
(blows), 1222 ; pt. s. dalt, 2791 ;
pt. pi. delten, 3440 ; pres. part.
deland, 1235 ; pp. de4t, 1271.
Deliuer, adj. F. quick, nimble,
3596.
Deliuerly, adv. quickly, 349, 776,
1119, 1702 ; deliuerli, 1510,1909;
deliuerliche, 1245. Ch.
Deme, v. S. to judge, declare,
]51, 1074; phr. "to deme be sobe,"
151, 583, 1161, 2633.
Demeyned him, pt. s. behaved,
1201, 3636 ; pt. pi. demeued hem,
1222.
Denede, pt. s. dinned, resounded,
5014.
Dent. See Dint.
Departe, v. F. (intr.) to part
asunder, sever, 2334, 5422 ; \p. pi.
pt. departed, 2026 ; pt. s. (trans.')
departed, 3894.
Depeinted, pp. painted, pour-
trayed, 3573 ; depeynted, 3217.
On,
Der. See Dar.
Deraied him,^tf. s. F. acted madly
(like a man disordered in mind),
2061 ; derailed him, 3741 ;
drayed (read derayed ?) him, 1210 ;
deraide [hym ?], f 883. 0. F.
desroyer, deroyer, dessarroyer.
Deraine, v. F. to make good, to
sustain a refusal (a law term},
1 124 ; dereine, \ 35 6. " Desrener,
to dereine ; to justifie, or make
g)od, the deniall of an act, or fact."
otgrave.
Dere, v. S. to harm, injure, 953 ;
derie, f 1240. Ch.
Dere, adj. S. dear, precious, 401 ;
phr. " whan 30U dere likes," 1050 ;
" him dere |?ou3t," 1268 ; " ^ou
dere finkes," 4352, 4727.
Derk, n. darkness, 1285, f 714.
Derly, adv. S. dearly, sumptu-
ously, 1421; derli, 4312, 4374.
Derling, n. S. a darling, 1538 ;
pi. derlinges, 2568.
Dern, adj. S. secret, 1792 ;
derne, f 478 ; deerne, f 826 ; pi.
derne, f 860. Ch.
Dernly, adv. S. secretly, 17, 131,
13li, 1799 ; dernli, 1050, 2208.
DerworJ), adj. S. precious, dear,
585, 2585 , derwor]>e, 1745, 2633,
4140, 5311 ; dereworth, f 613 ;
dereworthe, f 431, f 692, fl240;
sup. de[r]wor|7est, 3209. P. PI.
Des, n. F. The dais, or seat of
honour, 4312, 4338 ; dese, 4011.
Descriue, v. F. to describe, 5005,
5025 ; 1 p. s. pt. descriued, 3042.
Deschuuer, v. F. to discover,
reveal, 3192.
266
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Descuuering, n. discovery, 1043
discuueryng, 1024.
Deseuy, v. F. to deceive, 3306.
Desgeli. See Disgisili, and tlie note
on 1. 5014.
Desrnaye 2ou, imp. be dismayed,
3040.
Desparaged, pp. disparaged, 485.
Bespit, n. F. mischief, injury,
555, 4227 ; despyt, 3335.
Despitously, adv. mischievously,
maliciously, 1137 ; despitusl'v,
1210.
Dessece, n. F. decease, 4101.
Destene, n. F, destiny, 315.
Destruye, v. F. to destroy, 2930 ;
destrue, 4147 ; destrye, 4262;
pp. destruyt, 2847; destrued, 2646 ;
destruyed, 2124.
Deuel, n. S. devil, 1976 ; phr.
"adeuelwai,"1978. Ch.
Deuer, n. F. duty, 474, 2546 ;
deuere, 520. Ch.
Deuis, n. F. device, 3222.
Deuise, v. F. to describe, talk
about, tell of, 2985 ; diuise, 1316,
2635 ; deuice, 1603 ; nt. pi. deuised,
3302.
Deuouteliche, adv. devoutly, ear-
nestly, 2976 ; deuoteliche, 1245.
Deuoyde, v. F. to quit, leave,
2044.
Digised. See Disgised.
Dkrne, adj. F. worthy, 583, 4583 ;
ding, f 313. Ch.
Dignely, adv. worthily, 520 ;
dingneli, 4567.
Diked, pp. dug out, 2233.
Dint, n. a stroke, blow, 1234,
2784, f343;-dent, 2757, 3750;
pi. dintes, 1222, f 124, fl30;
dentes, 1215, 3440 ; dvntes,
f295.
Disgisecl. pp. disguised, 1677;
degised, 3888 ;-digised, 2530.
Disgisi, adj. F. in disguise,
masked, mummerwise, 1620 ; dis-
gesye, secret, 2715.
Disgisili, adv. strangely, extra-
ordinarily, 485 ; desgeli, 5014, on
which line see the Note.
Diting, an error for Tiding, 1478.
Diuise. See Deuise.
Di^t, v. S. to dispose, get ready,
prepare, 3253 ; pt. s. (with him),
1119; pt.^pl. (with hem), 1799;
pp. dijt, i. e. dressed, prepared,
ready, destined (with reference to
death), 151, 315, 776, 1620, 1643,
1677, 3222 ; 1 p. imp. pi. " di^r,
we vs henne," let us readily go
hence, 2553. Ch.
Done, v. S. to do, to cause, 320,
860 ; also to fight (metaphorically),
3252 ; 1 p. pr. s. do, 3249 ; 3 p.
pr. s. do]>, 925 ; dos, 4202 ; 2 p.
pr. pi. doj>, 1452 ; 3 p. pr. pi. don,
3244; 1 p.pt. s. dede, 555; 3 p.
pt. s. dede, 862, 1025 ; dude, 3427;
pt. pi. dede, 2092 ; dude, 1145 ;
imp. s. do, 2127 ; imp. pi. do]>,
3807; pp. don, 2928; do, 936,
1024. Phr. dude to dethe = did
to death, killed, 3427; dude hem
for]) = went forth, 1145 ; dede
hem on gate = went on their way,
2092 ; cf. 1119 ; dede him our,
went out, 2061 ; done (pp.) =
dead, 937. "When followed by
another verb, the latter is always
in the infinitive mood (as in the
case after all the other auxiliaries)
and [often] receives a passive sig-
nification." M. E. g. dede calif ^
caused to be called, 1522 ; dctfe
clepe, 1299; do m>, cause to be
proclaimed, 2127, 4049 ; do kepe,
cause to be kept, 413, dede fect-lic,
1303 ; do quelle, cause to be killed,
1246 ; dede tmnsh/fe, caused to be
translated, 167- The exception to
this is when the verb following is
neuter. E.g. dede astente, made
to stop, 1526 ; dede to mete, caused
to dream, 862 ; dede renne, caused
to run, 3390 ; do vanisch, 639.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
267
Another exception is when do is
followed by him (used reflexively),
as in do him lo\>e mi loue, cause
himself to loathe my love, 546. An-
other phrase is do to wife (651, 1331,
1459) = to cause to know, which
is still in use, and in which to wife
takes the place of the A.S. gerund.
.Doel, Dol, Dool. See Del.
Dof, imp. s. doff tliou, do thou
off, 2342.
Doluen, pp. (from delve), buried,
4210 ; doluen quic, buried alive,
1564; ded and doluen, dead and
buried, 2630, 5280, 1 1026. Ck.
Dom, n. S. judgment, doom, 1220.
Ch.
Dornayl, Dorenail. See Ded.
Dorst. See Dar.
.Doted, pp. F. foolish, idiotic,
4055. &<? A-doteJ>. Ch.
Dounes, n. pi S. downs, 2903.
Doun ri^tes. See Ki^tes.
Douten, pr. pi. fear, are afraid of,
1 168. 0. F. douter. Cf. Adouted.
.Doubter, gen. sing, daughter's,
3152.
Doutusli, adv. doubtfully, 4338.
Cf. Douteous in Ch.
"Douati, adj. S. doughty, brave,
1101, 1215, 1352 ;-dou3thi, 1302,
2709 ; dou^ty, 1318 ; comp.
douitiere, 1161 ; sup. dottiest,
1197.
Doi^tili, adv. bravely, 1222.
Draiht. See Dreche.
Drawe. See Drou$.
Drayed. See Deraied.
^Dreche, v. S. to disturb, molest,
t 765 ; pt. s. draihte, t 752 ; pp.
draiht, t 820. A.S. dreccan, pt. t.
drehte, pp. dreht, gedreht. Ch. See
Way's note in Prompt. Parv.
Drede, n. S. dread, fear, 1909;
miswritten dredre, 1892.
Dreew. See Drou^.
Drem, n. S. a droning noise, f781 ,
|982. See note to 1. f 781.
Dreme, n. S. a dream, 752.
Dressed him, pt. s. addressed him-
self, 1237.
Dreeing, n S. suffering, 919. Cf.
Drie."
Drie, v. S. to endure, suffer, 1772,
t373;-drye, 459, 1 1069 ; dry,
t!067; \p.pr.s. dry e, 459 ; 2 p.
pr. pi. dmen, 3704 ; pt. s. dried,
t242; drey, 2864; drei^h, 2796.
A.S. dreogan. Sc. dree. Cf. Moeso-
Goth. dringan.
Drift, n. S. driving-power, f 998 ;
chasing, onset, f 897.
Driuen, p)\ pi. " driuen for]) ]?at
day," drive forth (i. e. pass) the
day, 3065; pt. s. drof (drove),
t 891 ; pp. driue (driven), 979.
Dronked, pp. drenched, i. e.
drowned, 3516.
Dronken, pt. pi. drank, 1906.
Drouned, pt. s. droned, made a
droning noise, f 985. Cf. Mceso-
Goth. drunjus.
Drou}, pt. s. drew, drew near, ap-
proached, 2208 ; dreew, t 714 ;
drow, 1068, 1235, 1321, 1526, 1914;
drow him, 4338; pt. pi. drou?, 781,
3065; drowe, 1089 ; drowen, 1220;
drow hem, 1792 ; drowen them,
f 795 ; was drawe him=had drawn
himself, 44.
Duel, Dul. See Del.
Dulfull, adj. doleful, causing dole,
1 143 ; duelful, 3440.
Dupe, adj. S. deep, fl!32, fH56.
Duresse, n. F. hardship, constraint,
cruelty, 1074, 1114, 1125, 1546,
&c. Ch.
Dwelle, v. to delay, tarry, 701 ;
pr. s. dwelles, 1989 ; pt. s. dwelled,
1966. Dan. dvcele. Sw. dvdljas.
Dwer]?, n. S. a dwarf, 362 (see
Note). A.S. dweorg, Dan. and Sw.
dverg.
263
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
I) wined, pt. s. pined, dwindled,
578. A.S. dicinan. Ch.
Eche, each, 517. "It is usual to
find a (for an, one) used after this
word, as eche a barn, 188 ; eche a
,-i/nk, 1472; eche a strete, 1617;
eche a kuntre, 1673 ; eche a gom,
3465 ; [eche a seg, 3932 ;] eche a
baili, 5387 ; eche a lord, 5399 ; and
when combined with it, is written
both in Old English and Scotch,
ilka." M.
Eft, adv. afterwards, again, 882,
1049, f 552; eft as fele, as many
again, 3372.
Egge-tol, n. edged tool, sharp in-
strument, 3755. [It seems to be a
compound noun ; cf. A.S. ecg-bana,
ecg-hete, &c.]
Egged, pt. s. S. incited, urged,
1130. A.S. eggian. O.N. eggia.
Dan. egge. " Eggyn, or entycyn'
to doon' wel or yvele." Prompt.
Jrarv.
Egre, adj. F. eager, courageous,
3636.
Eiles, pr. s. ails, afflicts, 634,
1533; eyles, 944; pt. s. eilede,
951 ; eyled, 831, 888.
Eir, n. F. heir, 709, 1474, 4102 ;
eyr, 4641; eyer, 77; eyre.
Eijjer . . . other, each . . . the
other, i.e. one another, 1010, 1032,
1613, 2505, 3032, 4889, 5200.
Ei^er (each), 1054 ; spelt ej>er,
833; cf. e^er, 1240; gen. sing.
eiders (each other's), 1014.
Ei^en, n. pi. S. eyes, 463, 465,
1063, 1585 ; ebyen, 228 ; eyuen,
458.
Ek, but, 715. See Ak.
Eke, adv. also, 473.
Eld, adj. S. old, 3498.
Elde, n. S. old age, 5227.
Elles, else, otherwise, 1132, 1571,
2671; eles, f 55, f 209. A.S.
elks.
Em, n. S. uncle, 3421, 3435;.
gen. sing, ernes, 3426. Ch.
Emperice, n. F. empress, 5343,
5400. Ch.
Enchaunmens, n. pi. enchant-
ments, 137.
Encheson, n. F. occasion, cause,
fl070, 3697, 4173 ; enchesoun,
1172, f 140.
Ender day, by-gone day, day past,
3042. See?. PI. Crede, 1. 239,.
and hendre in Jamieson.
Enforced, pp. strengthened, forci-
bly occupied, f 908.
Engines, n. pi. warlike engines,.
|294; engynes, 3000.
Enpoysoun, v. F. to poison, 4650.
Ensaumples, n.pl. F. examples, |8.
Entecches, n. pi. F. spots, stains-
(metaphorically used), 558.
Entent, n. F. intention, 1544.
Entres, n. pi. F. entries, passes,..
f908.
Eny, any, 2223 ; eni, 1077.
Enys, adv. once, 1093. A.S. dries,
gen. of an, one. [But it is a mere-
expletive in this placed]
Er, conj. S. before, ere, 1612,
2026; her, 1515; or, f310,.
t791. SwEre.
Erande, n. S. an errand, 4156 ;
herend, 1469 ; herande, 1592;
arnd, 5287. Cf. Moeso-Goth..
airman, to go on a message.
Erber, n. arbour, 1752.
Erden, v. S. to dwell, 5260 ;pt. s..
erded, 1417.
Ere, adv. S. before, formerly, 160,,
3031, 4180, 5233. Cf. Are.
Eritage, n. F. heritage, 4097, |464. .
Erliche, adv. S. early, 1296,2519..
Ern, n. S. an eagle, 3105. Ch.
Em = 3erne, f 1 09 1 . See 3erne.
Ert, art thou, f 592. Ch.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
269
Eschel, n. F. troop, company, bat-
talion, 3379, 3564, 3785. O.F.
eschelle.
Esed, pp. made at ease, accom-
modated, 1632, 5338.
Estres, n. pi. F. retreats, recesses
(of a garden), 1768. Applied in
Ch. to the inward parts of a house,
&c. See O.F. estre in Roq.
"Like to the estres of the grisly
place,
That higlit the cret tempul of Mars
in Trace." "Ch. Kn. Ta. 1113.
Cf. Rom. of the Rose, 1448, 3626.
Eten,^.jtf. ate, 1906, 2515.
Eth, adj. S. easy, 3571. Ch. A.S.
ed%.
E]>er, either, each, 833. See EiJ>er.
Etteleden, pt. pi. hurried, 272.
See Attele.
Euele, n. S. evil, mischief, 558,
1065.
Eiien, adv. straight, exactly, hard
by, 755, 1093; euene, 747, 762,
811.
Euenly, adv. straightway, 1747.
Euen-while, n. even-time, even-
tide, 1747.
Euerich, every, 622, 1474;
euereche on, every one, 5412.
Facioun. See Fasoun.
Fade, j?p. faded, 891.
Fader, n. S. father, 241, &c. ] gen.
sing, fader, 4996.
Faileden, pt. pi. failed, 2660.
Fain. See Fayn.
Fairre, comp. adj. fairer, 4437.
Falle, v. S. to befall, happen, 324,
806, 1700 ; pr. s. falles me (happens
to me), 439 ; falles (suits, appertains,
belongs), 14, 339, 1685, 2789; pt.
s. fei (befell), 903 ; fel for (suited),
1766 ; him fel (behoved him), 4440.
Fantasie, n. F. fancy, apprehen-
sion (of evil), f 384. Ch.
Fanteme, n. F. a phantom, a fancy,
703, 2315, 4109.
Fare, v. S. to go, 5079, 5142 -,pr.
s. fares, 1315 ; pt. s. ferd or ferde,
30, 1479, 2649, (behaved) 884,
2073, (fared, did) 1497, 1499,
(befell) 1922 j pt. pi. ferden, 2745,
2809 ; ferde, 1913 ; ferd, 1915 ;
farde, f 305 ; pp. faren, 1514,
5468 ; fare, 2485, f 224 ; faren
for> = proceeded, advanced, 3260;
cf. 2730, 4450.
Fare, n. S. journey ; hence, busi-
ness, "goings-on," affair (esp. a
troublesome business), 1091, 2079,
2802, 2943, 4580, &c.
Farre, comp. adv. farther, f 244.
Faiiy. See Ferli.
Fasoun, n. F. fashion, shape, make,
402, 934, 4440; fason, 2836;
facioun, 500.
Faujt,^. s. fought, 3426;^. pi.
fo^ten, 3414.
Fax, n. S. hair, 2097.
Fayn, adj. S. glad, 2817 ; fain,
1783; sup. faynest, 3933; (adv.)
fayn (gladly), 858.
Fayre, adv. fairly, kindly, 347.
Feele, Feole. See Fele.
Feffe, v. F. to enfeoff, provide for,
5ive presents to, 1061 ; pp. feffed,
93. Ch.
Feintise, n. F. faintness, 436 ;
feyntyce (cowardice), 1188 ; feyn-
tise (flinching), 763 ; phrase,
"fei}>li boute feintyse," verily,
without flinching (or hesitation),
1543, 3169. Ch.
Feib, n. S. faith, 858 ; fewb,
275.
Feibli, adv. in faith, truly, 777,
828, 912, 1317;-feif>ely, 201;
fetyliche, 2732 ;fei3J>li, 4793 ;
fei3^ely, 230 ;-fe|>li, 132 ; fetfy,
209 ieuliche [_? feitfliche], 261 :
faitly, tSO^j-fejtly, 703.
Fei^tful, adj. faithful, 337 ; comp,
feijrfullere, 5434.
270
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Fel. See Falle.
Fel, n. S. skin, 1720, 2361; pi.
bere-felles (bear-skins), 2414, 2430,
2560.
Felachipe, n. S. fellowship, 777,
1317, 4510; felachip, 1479.
Felawe, n. S. i'ello\v, companion,
275, 339; pi. felawes, 186,. 193,
360, &c,
Feld, pr. s. felt, 1 ; feld foute =
perceived the scent, 33 ; pp. feled,
638.
Feldfares, n. pi fieldfares, 183.
Ch.
Fele, adj. S. many, 5, 186, 388,
801, &c ; fel, t 46 ; feele, 1 880 :
feole, t 12.
Fell, adj. S. fierce, cruel, f 364,
t 946. Comp. feller (of a fever},
897; (of a sickness), 609; (of a
battle), 3614 ; (of a man), t 42. Ch.
Felled, pt. s. feUed, killed, f 85 ;
pt. pi t 387, 3415 ; feld, f 352 ;
pp. felde, 3638.
Felli, adv. fiercely, 3274 ; felly,
3451.
FelJ>e, n. S. filth ; hence (by
metaphor) a low fellow, a wretch,
2542, 2545.
Fend, n. S. a fiend, 3130.
Fende, v. to defend, 3650 ; fende
mee = defend myself, fight, 1 1201.
Fenkes, pr. s. vanquishes, con-
quers, t 323 ; pp. fenked, t HI,
t 305, f 890; ifenked, t 117.
Probably a modification of F. vain-
ere, as the spelling venkud occurs
in The Seuen Sages, 2024. Cf.
" For haddest thou fenked the fon
(foes)," &c. Alexander, ed. Steven-
son, p. 208, 1. 339.
Fer, adv. far, 2546, 2781 ; com.p.
ferre, 2613, 5167, 5397; sup.
ferrest, 2433, 5079.
Ferche. See Fers.
Ferd,#p. afraid, 3366.
Ferd, n. S. a troop, company,
386, 5326. AS.fyrd.
Ferden. See Fare.
Fere, n. S. a companion, 364,.
1639, 2866; (a spouse), t 960.
Cf. I-fere.
Fere. adj. entire, sound, 1583. Cf..
IeeL t /2wr J Su.-Go. foer. Dan. and
SW./OA
Fere, f 413. I can only suggest
that to fere may mean for fear
(which seems a forced construction),
or that we should read to-fore, be-
forehand. Cf. To-fore. Line f 415
also seems to be corrupt, and for
]pei we might read \>en.
Ferefull, adj. S. terrible, f 291 r
f411.
Ferforf, adv. far away, 209.
Ferke, v. to drive, drive onwards
by beating, to press hard upon,
3630 ; pt. s. ferked, 1 85, 1 1221 ;
pt. pi. firked, t 67. " Firk, to
whip, to beat." Halliwell.
Ferli,a<#. S. terrible, fearful, 2449,
3186, 3934. A.S./6-&?.
Ferli, sb. a wonder, 3280, 4531 ;
ferlich, t!015; farly, 1 1050.
See preceding word.
Ferliche, adv. terribly, wonder-
fully, 3238.
Fers, adj. F. fierce, severe, 436,
3351, 3641 ; ferse, t 70, t 276 ;
ferche, 3796.
Fersche, adj. fresh, 3633. A.S,
fersc. See Fresch.
Fersly, adj. fiercely, 1766;
fersli, 3348 ; ferslich, t 115 ;
ferselich, f 253 ; ferscheli, 3426..
Also spelt fresly, 1190.
Ferst, adv. first, 648; adj. 1163..
Fesauns, n. pi pheasants, 183.
Ch.
Festened, pt. s. fastened, 1720 ;.
festned, 1239 ; pp, festened, 447,
3437,3593; fest, 1650.
Fet, n. pi S. feet, 1766.
Fetis, adj. F. well made, lovely,
pretty, genteel, 126, 1447, 4095 ;
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
271
fetys, 225, 4435 ; fetyse, 393 ;
fetise, f 188. Q.^.fetis. Low
Ch.
Fetisliche, adv. fairly, neatly, pro-
perly, 98.
Fettes, pr. s. fetches, f 628.
Fetures, n.pl. features, 857, 2886.
Feuer, n. F. fever, 897. In 1.
1239, for of feuer {as in MS.) read
on fe uter. See Feuter.
Feute, n. scent, trace, 90, 2189 ;
foute,33. "Fewte. Vestigium."
Prompt. Parv. " Fewt, trace of a
fox or beast of chase by the odour."
Morris.
Feuter, n. F. the rest for the spear,
3437, 3593. From Lat. fulcrum.
Cf. f ant re in Roq., and see Morte
Arihure, \. 1366. Sir F. Madden
points out that this is obviously the
meaning in Wallace, \\\. 168 (where
Jamieson renders fewtir by rage,
from the Icd.fudra, efflagro !)
Feye, adj. fated to die, unlucky,
J397. A.S./^. CLMorteArth.
121,4253.
Feyntice (1239), Feyntise, Feyn-
tyce. See Feintise.
Feyre, n. F. a fair, 1822.
Feyrye, n. F. race of fairies, 230.
" See Keightley's Fairy Mythology,
vol. i." M.
Fe3tly, Fefli. See Feifli.
Fifte, fifth, 1322.
Fin, adj. fine, great (applied to
force}, 1117, 1 128 ; fyn, 1217.
Finched, pp. finished, 3934.
Findestow = findest thou, 132.
Finliche, adv. finely, 768, f!201.
Firked. See Ferke.
Flagetes, n. pi. F. flagons, 1893 ;
flaketes, 1888.
Flebled, pt. pi. became feeble,
2660, \_But we should rather read
i'ebled. Ct.febul in 1. 5227.]
Flecchinge, n. F. flinching, turn-
ing aside. See/efc/> in Cotgrave.
Fleete, v. S. to float, f532. Ch.
Flen, v. S. to flay, 1682; pp.
flayne, 2607.
Flen, v. S. to flee, to fly, 3872 ;
fleue, 1856, 3879, 3892 ; pt. s.
flei, 1896 ; imp. pi. flej>, 3366.
Flet, n. S. floor of a cottage;
hence, on mi net = in my cottage,
5368. A.S./^. $ez My rk's In-
structions for Parish Priests, ed.
Peacock ; 1. 273, note.
Flite, v. S. to chide, debate, 2545.
Flitte, v. S. to drive away, banish,
623.
Flon, n.pl. S. arrows, f 269.
Floriched, pp. flourished, clothed
with verdure, 2438.
Floungen, pt. pi. flew as if flung,
were thrown, f 269.
Fode, n. a man, f 209. Cf. Sw.
foda, to bring forth.
Fodest, 2 p. pr. s. thou feedest,
i. e. suppliest, 1646 ; pt. s. foded,
57; imp.pl. fodes, 2050. Cf. Mceso-
Goth.fod'jan.
Fold, n. S. earth, ground, 5382.
Fold, pp. folded, 858.
Folili, adv. foolishly, 4596 ;
folliche, 1557.
Folwe, v. S. to follow, 189 ; pr.s.
folwes, 436 ; fulwes, 33 ; pt. pi.
folwed, 3351, 3631; imp.pl. folwefc
3344.
Fomen, n. pi. S. foemen, foes,
3274, 3372, t 98.
Fon, n. pi. S. foes, 3269, 3338 ;
fone, f 271, t 332, f 866.
Fonden, v. S. to try, seek, at-
tempt, f 108 ; - fonde, 1019,
3387, t 246, 1 385 ; fond, 777,
3599 ; 1 p pr. s. fonde (I seek,
ask), f!054; 3 p. pr. s. foundes
(goes), f!21, pr.pl. fonden (are
busy), 1682 ; pt. s. fonded, t 740 ;
pt.pl. fondede (busied themselves),
272
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
3629; imp. pi. fondes, 1114; pp.
t'onded, 623, 801 ; pres.part. found-
ing (going), 1749. KS.fandian.
Fond, .p*. ft found, 293, 422, 2730,
4847 ; pi. fond him = found for
him, 73.
Foos. See Fos.
For, prep, on account of, 1691 ;
as suited for, 294, 506 ; in spite
of (?), 1226. {But we should, in
the last place, read fro.]
For, conj. in order that, 746, 2751 ;
because, 1319, 1668.
For , an intensive prefix. A.S.
for . Moeso-Goth. fra . G.
ver . See below.
For-barre, v. to bar up, enclose
forcibly, 3333; pt. pi. for-barred
(parried), 1217.
For-brenne, v. S. to burn up, 1188;
pp. for-brent, 2621, 2831, 3001.
Forcer, n. F. a casket, coffer, 4432,
f628. See Way's note on Poor cere
in Prompt. Parv.
For-dede, pt. s. killed, destroyed
(= should kill), 2972 ; pp. fordon,
1563.
Fordedes, n. pi. previous deeds,
325 ; fordede, 5182. See note
to 1. 325, and cf. 1. 2076.
Fore, adv. beforehand, 2076,
4142. Cf. To-fore.
Fore, prep, for, 2941.
Forfare, v. S. to kill, 2762.
For-fouten, pp. exhausted with
fighting, 3686. See Jamieson.
For-frete, $p. eaten up, 2376. See
Fret.
For-gaf, pt. s. gave up, 4418.
For-gete, pp. forgotten, 5156.
For-go, v. to forego, lose, 5187.
For-hungred, pp. exhausted with
hunger, 2515.
For-left,^. left, 2497.
For-lete,^.j;Z. left, forsook, 2311;
pp. for-lete, f 679.
For-lore, pp. wholly lost, 2955,
4571.
Formest, adj. first, foremost, 1191,
5079, t 40 ; formast, 2324 ; adv.
(at first, first of all), 939, 1362,
2324.
For-oute, prep, without, 2681.
Fors, n. force, 1117. See Fin.
Phrase, "no fors bei ne leten," they
little cared for, 3651. Cf. I do no
fors, I don't care, \\\Chaucer (Aldine
edition), vol. vi. p. 305.
Forschop, lp.pt. s. I transformed,
misshaped, 4394*; pp. for-schaped,
2639. Ch.
For-sake, v. to deny, 1358. A.S.
for-sacan.
Fort, put for Forto, 788. See note.
Forperes, pr. s. proceeds, 5397.
Forf-fare, pp. departed, 5266.
Forjn, For-J>i, conj. S. on that
account, therefore, 723, 1051, 1624,
&c.
Forjjinkes me, pr. s. wipers, it
mislikes me, grieves me, 5422 ; pt.
pi. reft, forthoughten hem, repent-
ed, t 446. Ch.
For]) ward, adv. S. forward, 3630.
For-waked, pp. exhausted with
waking, worn out for want of
sleep, 785, 793, 1797 ; al for-
waked, 790 ; al for- walked, 2236.
" Chaucer uses it, Cant. Ta. 5016,
and Wyntoun, viii. 16. 141." M.
ForwandreJ), pr. s. wanders long,
739. "In Chaucer is the pp. for-
wandred, Rom. Rose, 3336." M.
See also P. PI. A. prol. 7.
Forward, n. S. a compact, 1451 ;
pi. forwardes, 1557, 1568, 1650.
For-wept, pp. worn out with
weeping, 2868. " In Chaucer's
Dreme, 1833, and King's Quair, ii.
54." M. Cf. Bi-wept.
For-wery, adj. exceeding weary,
2443. "In Chaucer, Rom. Rose,
I 3336." M. Cf. Dan. laiigcarig.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
273
For-wounded, pp. much wounded,
3686. "In Chaucer, Rom. Hose,
1830." M.
For-:jeten, pt. pi. forgot, 1909 ;
pp. for^ete, 4934. See For-gete.
Fos, n. pi. foes, 1190; foos,
2699. See Fon.
Fostredes, 2 p. pt. s. didst foster,
5376.
Fote, n. S. a foot (used as a
measure), 4033.
Fouche, in phrase, " sauf wol I
fouche," I will vouch-safe or gua-
rantee, 4352.
Foule, adv. fully, 1646.
Foules, n. pi. S. birds, 822 ; gen.
foulen, 805.
Foundes, Founding. See Fonden.
Fourteni^t, n. S. a fortnight, 2681 ;
fourtenenirt, 1337 ; fortenijt,
2423 ; gen. fourteni^tes, 2683.
Foute. See Feute.
Fou3ten. See Fau^t.
Fowlye, n. folly, f 1103.
Frakes. See Freke.
Fram. See Fro.
Frau3t, pp. freighted, 2732.
Frayne, v. S. to ask, inquire, 250 ;
1 p. pt. s. freyned, 2034 ; pt. s.
freyned, 1303, 3587;^.^.freyned,
394. "Somner says that in his
time this word still prevailed in
Lancashire." M.
Fre, adj. S. liberal, generous,
noble, 337, 386, 1061, 3277 ; used
as sb. 505 ; opposed to ]>ewe, 5514.
See Sir F. Madden's Reply to Mr
Singer's Remarks on Havelok, p. 15.
Fredom, n. S. liberal disposition,
189.
Freke, n. S. a man, 402, 1117,
1 193, &c. ; frek, 264, 897, 934,
&c. ; gen. frekes, 3886 ; pi. frekes,
442, 2286 ; frakes, 3504. Applied
to a young boy in 1. 4078. The
A.S./ra? is chiefly used "in a bad
sense, but the root exists in the
Su.-G. /rack, Isl. frek, strenuus,
ferox." M. Cf. Sw. frack, Dan.
frdk.
Freliche, adj. S. noble, genteel,
428, 822, 3876; freli, 5329;
frely, 124, 366, 500 ; freyliche,
360 ; freelich, f 209, f 1003,
f!245.
Freli, adv. S. nobly, honourably,
5329. Generally in phr. "freliche
schapen," finely shaped, 126, 225,
393; "freli schapen," 1447; sup.
" frelokest i-schapen," 2634. " In
the Isl. frdligr is alacer, celer,
strenuus. Orkneyinga Saga" M.
Fresly. See Fersly.
Fresch, adj. fresh, 3640. See
Fersche.
Fret, pt. s. gnawed, 87 ; pp.
freaten (rather readheteti), f 1159.
A.S./reto. G.fressen. Cf. For-
frete.
Frij), n. a thicket, wood, forest,
822; pL frizes, 2216, f!5. "W.
ffridd. Cf. 0. Hi.fraitis in Roq.
Fro, prep, from, 13, &c. ;
fromme, 425 ; fram, 5373.
Frobroder, n. younger brother
(apparently contr. from from-
brother), f 23. [J cannot find the
word elsewhere. ~\
Frond, n. F. front, 3584.
Frotus,^?r.s. rubs, strokes, f 1174.
Ful, adv. very, 983.
FulnUen, v. to fulfil, 1451 ; pp.
fulfulled, 4319.
Fulsumli, adv. S. plenteously,
4325.
Fulwes. See Folwe.
Fundeling, n. foundling, 481,
502, 2077.
Fur, n. S. fire, 1188, 4773;
fure, 907, 3759.
Fur]?e del, fourth part, 1284.
Fy, inter j. fie! 481.
18
274
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Gabbe, jpr. jrf. S. talk idly, 1994.
Ch.
Gadere, v. S. to gather, 30 ;
gader, 1022.
Gaf. See Gif.
Gailiche, adv. gaily, 2591 ; gayli,
1625, 2597 ; gayly, 2731.
Gainli. See Gaynli.
Gainelich, adv. f506. It is doubt-
less an error for garaelich : the
parallel passage in MS. Ashm. 44
is, " A lowde latter he k>3e." See
Gamely.
Gainus, n. pi. javelins, f 292. Cf.
" Ganye, Gainye, Genye, Ganyhe, an
arrow, javelin." Jamieson. Cf. Ir.
gain, an arrow ; W. gaing, a chisel
or wedge. {In MS. miswritten
Gamely, adv. playfully, joyfully,
laughingly, 427 ; gamelich, f 506 ;
gamli, 3383 ; gameliche, 2591.
Gamsum, adj. S. joyful, 4193.
Gan, Ganne. See Gin.
Gan, pr. pi. they go, 811.
Gapand, pres. part, gaping, 2372 ;
gapande, 2875 ; gapind, 3503.
Garisun, n. F. provision, reward,
5073 ; garissoun, 2491. Cf.
Warissoun.
Garnemens, n.pl. garments, 3207,
4460. P. PI. Crede, ]&%, foot-note.
Gart, pt. s. caused, made, 1248,
2082, 2168, &c. ; garte, 1365 ;
" gart HS do make," caused this to
be done, 5529. See also 2900.
Gat. See Gete.
Gate, n. S. road, way ; on gate,
on his way, on their way, 1119,
2092, 4014 ; on his gate, 372 ; on
here gate, 1912 ; on oure gate,
2800 ; on hur gate, f 379 ; pi. gatis,
gates ; heie gates, high-roads,
1691 ; gey nest gatis, nearest ways,
4189 ; o\>er-gate, otherwise, 3761.
Gayne, v. impers. to avail, help,
profit, 598 ; pr. s. gayne|>, 3109 ;
geinef>, 3899 ; pt. s. geyned, 3891 ;
pr. s. subj. geyne, 3107. Dan.
game. Sw. gagna.
Gayned,^?. s. in " na gref gayned
to his ioye," no grief accrued to
his joy, 2473. Ct. 0. F. gaagner.
A.S. gynan.
Gaynest, adj. sup. nearest, readiest,
3465 ; geynest, 4189. Cf. Gayne ;
and Gane in Jamieson.
Gaynli, adv. readily, well,
thoroughly, 636, 2665, 2706, 3135 ;
gaynliche, 369 ; geinli, 3448 ;
geinliche, 744 ; geynliche, 1030 ;
geynli, 3553, &c. Cf. Gaynest.
Gelt, n. S. guilt, 2339, 4403.
Gemetrie, n. geometry, f 548,
t 644. P. PI. A. xi. 153.
Genge, n. S. gang, assemblage,
1600, 1625.
Gerd him, pt. s. girt himself,
3291.
Gerde)?,^. 5. strikes, 1240. See
Girde in Ch. "But perhaps we
should read qrete]>" M.
Gere, n. S. gear, clothing, 1716,
2588 ; stelger, steel armour, t 416.
Ch.
Gergeis, Greeks, 2200.
Gerles, girls, 816.
Gest, n. F. geste, romance, 5033 ;
pi. deeds, adventures, 2780. Cf.
Spenser, F. Q. ii. 2, 16.
Gestes, n. pi. S. guests, 4904.
Gete, n. S. to get, obtain, 644 ;
1 p. pt. s. gat (begat), 4191 ; pt. s.
gat, 2895 ; lp.pt. pi. gete, 4077;
. gaten, 1592 ; pp. geten,
L030 ; gete, 799.
Gie. See Gye.
Gif, v. S. to give, 5539 ; giif,
1169; 1 p. pr. s. giue, 531, gif,
536, 1000 ; pt. s. gaf, 395, 992,
1559 ; pt.pl goue, 4781 ; pp. giue,
5075. God gif (God grant), 2157 ;
God goue, 1648 ; God gof, 2348.
See also under 3eue.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
275
Ginne, 1 p. pr. s. begin, 1929;
pr.pl. ginneK H85, 2080; pt. s.
gan, 691, 736 ; pt. pi. gonne, 4009 ;
1 p. imp. pi. ginne, 5104. Also, as
an auxiliary verb; pr. s. ginnes
ride (doth ride), 1189 ; pt. s. gan,
71, 647, 831, &c. ; pt. s. subj. gun,
290 ; pt. pi. gonne, 1961, 2200,
t 292 ; gun, 1154, 3274 ; gunne,
1164, 1272, 1530, 1600 ; gon, 3825.
Ginnes. See Gynne.
Gist, adv. (?) justly (placed),
exactly (set), f 294. The gloss iust
seems correct.
Glade, v. S. to gladden, 824, 827 ;
intr. to rejoice, 351 ; pp. gladed,
600,870,1593. Ch.
Gle, n. S. melody, 824.
Glede, n. S. a burning coal, f 729.
Ch.
Gleming, pres. part, looking a-
skance, f 506. See Glime in Jamie-
son.
Glimerand, pres. pt. shining,
1427.
Glisiande, pres. pt. glistening,
shining, f 180, f 534, f H96 ;
glisiing, f 698.
Glod,^. s. glided, f 279.
Glosed, pt. s. spoke coaxingly,
persuaded, 60.
Go \ve, let us go, used for let us,
1184. Cf. "gowe dyne, gowe."
P. PI. A.prol. 105.
God, n. S. goods, riches, possess-
ions, 1731, 3523, 5071.
God, Gode, adj. S. good, 1765,
&c. " Used substantively, 504,
1334, 3777. In the first and last
instances parentage or birth is
understood, and lady in the
second." M.
Godli, adv. S. goodly, well, fairly,
1305, 1450, 1461 ; godliche, 1270,
2444, 5031 ; -godly, 169, 2916 ;
goddeli, 306.
Godelyche, adj. S. goodly, fair,
355.
Godmen, n. pi. good men, strong
men, 1069.
Gof. See Gif.
Gome, n. S. a man, 670, 824, 851,
t 221, t 252, &c. ; gom, 747,
1007, 1092, &c. ; gum, 4441 ; gen.
sing, gomes, 346, 1687 ; pi. gomes,
1169, 1939.
Gon, v. S. to go, 4902; gone,
2600 ; pr. s. gob, 271, 747, &c. ;
pr. pi. gon, 1687 ; gan, 811 ; imp.
pi. goK 263.
Gon, Gonne. See Ginne.
Gost, n. S. spirit, breath of life,
992, 1559, 2120 ; a phantom, 1730.
Goue. See Gif.
Gradden, pt. pL cried out ; grad-
den hur grty, cried out for peace,
made a treaty, 1 151. P. PI. A.
ii. 59.
Graith, adv. straight, at once,
f863. Cf. GreiJ>.
Graijjed. See GreiJ>e.
Graithlich. See Greijjli.
Grame, n. S. anger, wrath, 2200.
Ch.
Gras, n. S. grass, herb, 644, 799,
1030 ; pi. grases, 27.
Grathly. See Greifli.
Greate, v. to greet, f 705.
Grece, n. S. grass, 636. See Gras.
Grece, n. F. a flight of steps,
stairs, 811. See Way's note in
Prompt, Parv.
Gref, n. F. grief, 2473 ; vexation,
anger, 4418 ; greefe, f 264 ; pi.
greues, 778, 868, 956, &c.
Greeny, adv. grievously ; greefly
bigo y grievously beset, f 490, f 994.
Gregoyse, n. pi. Greeks, 5104.
GreiJ>, adj. ready, 5296 ; greyt,
2731. \These seem to be adjectives
rather than from GreiJ>e.]
Greijje, v. to dress, prepare, make
ready, array, 1719, 3558, 4274;
276
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
pr. s. graipes, f 254 ; pt. s. grei)?ed,
3288 ; graythed, f 77 ; pt. pi.
greibed, 1931, 3207 ; pp. greibed,
1945, 3766, 3768 ; grayth<
grained, f 258, 2933 ;
grefea. [For gre}>and, 1427, read
gre}>ed.~] Cf. A-gre]>ed.
Greijjli, adv. readily, quickly, 984,
3492, 4257 ; gre}>li, 998; graith-
lich, f 858 ; grathliche, f 562 ;
grathly,t711.
Gremjje, n. S. anger, fierceness,
2080, f 221, f 279. " In Isl.
grind ; see Gautretfs Saga,}*. 251."
M. Cf. Grame.
Grendes, 2 p. pr. s. thou grindest,
1510.
Gresli. See Grisli.
Grete, adj. great; used (in pi.)
substantively (as at present) for
persons of rank, 1107, 1595, 1936 ;
comp. gretter, 1859 ; sup. grettest,
928 ; miswritten grettes, 1196.
Grete, v. S. to greet, accost, 1430 ;
pr. s. gretes, 233 ; pis. gret, 1393,
1986 ; grett, 873, 4532 ; grette,
369 ; pt. pi. gretten, 1334 ; grette,
\ 920 ; imp. pi. gretes, 355 ; grete]>,
359 ; pres. part, gretand, 8816.
Greteli, adv. greatly, 1292 ;
gretliche, 975, 2444 ; gretly,
600; grettli, 2665 ; gretteli,
4872.
Gretyng, n. S. salutation, 234.
Greue, n. S. a grove, 3634.
Greue, v. F. to vex, injure, 689,
2875, 4028 ; pr. s. greues, 530,
608, 889, 899 ; pr.pl greuen (sub.
wounds), 1378 ; imp. s. greue,
2793.
Greues. See Gref.
Grewes, Greeks, 2080.
Grim, n. S. anger, fury, f 904.
A.S. grim, fury.
Grint, pt. s. S. ground, pierced
through, 1242, 3443.
Giipt,pt.s. S. gripped, seized, 744.
Grisli, adj. S. formidable, fright-
ful, 1730 ; grisiliche, 4343 ;
grissiliche, 4935 ; grislich, f 434;
gresli, 1687.
Grip, n. S. peace, security, 3891,
3899 ; gradden hur gri\>, sued for
peace, fl51; graunted him grty,
granted him peace, 3927.
Grocching. See Grucching.
Groin, n. S. groom, man, 1767.
"Evidently the representative of
gome and formed from it, as bride-
groom is from brid-guma." M.
Grot, n. groat, 4257. "It may
also mean a thing of no value, from
S. greot, pulvis." M.
Growen, pr. pi. grow, 1812.
Grucche, v. F. to murmur, be un-
willing ; 2 p. pr. subj. grutche,
4257; imp. s. grucche, 1450; pt. s.
grucched, 3927 ; pres. part, grocch-
ing, 271. Ch. J
Grucching, n. S. murmuring, 1461,
2687.
Grunt, pt. pi. groaned, f 388.
Gryffouns, Greeks, 1961. " Cf.
Griff ouns in Halliwell.
Gult, 1 p. pt. s. injured, 1172.
See A-gult.
Gum. See Gome.
Gun, Gunne. See Ginne.
Gye, v. F. to guide, lead, govern,
1105, 2664, +316, f 328 ; gie r
|287. Ch.
Gye, n. F. guide, 2727, 2849.
Gyled, pp. beguiled, cheated, 689.
Ch.
Gynne, n. a contrivance, art,
f 1135 ; pi ginnes, f 548, f 644.
Ch.
Hache, n. S. ache, pain, 905 ;
hacche, 847 ; pi haches, 615,
1575 ; hacches, 826, 902. " Still
pronounced etitch in Cheshire. Tide
Wilbraham's Glossary." M.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
277
Hacclies, n. pi. hatches (of a ship),
2770, 2776. Ch.
Hadden, Hadestow. See Haue.
Hakernes, n. pi. S. acorns, 1811.
Hal, adj. all, 323, 371.
Halde, v. S. to hold, 1304 ; pr. s.
haldes, 905, 932 ; pr. pi. holden,
2711 ; pt. pi* helden, 946 ; pp.
holde (bound, beholden), 317 ;
hold, 4722 ; holde (considered as,
esteemed), 2833, 3773, 4158 ; hold,
1355 ; imp. s. hald, 343; imp. pi.
haldes, 106.
Half, n. side, 3971 ; on goddes
halue, on God's side, in God's name,
2803.
Halp. See Helpes.
Hampris, pr. s. hampers, impedes,
troubles, 668 ; pp. hampered, 441 ;
hampred, 4694 ; imp. pi. hampres,
1115. Cf. Su.-Goth. hamma, Dan.
hemme, to hem in.
Han. See Haue.
Hange, pp. hung, 5479. [Better
hanged. Cf. Honget.]
Hap, n. chance, fortune, 414,
440, 1794, 1798 ; happ, 806 ;
happe, 32 ; pi. happes, 1815,
1840, 1885, &c. ; vp happe (per-
haps), 2722. Icel. happ. W. hap.
Ch.
Happe, v. F. to get, receive, light
on, 3340. Cf. F. hopper, to seize.
Happili, adv. haply, by chance,
2774, 4130 ; happiliche (luckily),
2495.
Hard, adj* used substantively to
denote danger or hardship, 435 ;
harde, 472, 2339 ; as harde as
(as fast as), 1082, 1857; cf. 1286.
Hardien, vb. to make hard,
embolden, 1156.
Hardnesse,w. hardship, 1816. Ch.
Harmes, n. pi. sorrows, 453.
Harmles, adj. unharmed, 1671.
Harneis, n. harness, body-armour,
horse -trappings, 1582 ; harneys,
2349, 4187, 4281. Ch.
Has, for As, 1857.
Has, for Hast, 606.
Haselnotes, n. pi. hazel-nuts, 1811.
Hastely, adv. quickly, soon, 58,
323, 1566; hasteli, 597, 1051;
hastilyche, 2571; comp. hastlier
(sooner), 4160.
Hastou, Hastow, hast thou. See
Haue.
Haue, v. to have, 72 ; 1 p. pr. s.
haue, 519 ; 2 p. pr. s. hastou (hast
thou), 1545 ; hastow, 1005, 1556;
has, 606; 3 p.pr. s. ha}>, 477, &c.;
has, 475; 2 p. pr. pi ban, 4093;
haue, 1030 ; pr. pi. han, 361 ; 2 p.
pt. s. hadestow (hadst thou), 1816;
pt. s. had, 369 ; pt. pi. hadden,
1014; hadde, 1289; imp. s. a,
1177; imp. pi. hauej), 3339; 2 p.
pr. s. subj. haue, 4255.
Hautene, adj. F. haughty, proud,
3982; hauteyn, 472, 529, 707,
729 ; (loud), 2187.
Hawes, n. pi. haws, berries, 1811.
Hed, pt. pi. hid, 2848 ; hedde,
1793 ; pp. hed, 688.
Heie, adj. high, 749 ; hei$,
103 ; hei^h, 569, 1156 ; heye,
252 ; hue, 5372 ; adv. hye$,
707 ; comp. herre, 529, 1178 ; superl.
newest, 2907. Heie gates, high-
ways, 1691 ; hei^-waye, 1846. On
&ei$, 2020. Hie$ midnty, 2066.
Hefye dese, high dais, 4011.
Heili, adv. highly, greatly, often
joined to the vb. herie, as, heri^e-
den heili, 3461 ; heriend heiliche,
1584 ; heriede hi^liche, 1798;
to herien hei^li, 1875; hilich
herie, f 703 ; heijli (earnestly),
5495 ; heueliche, 2336 ; heizeli,
4720.
Hei^ vs, vb. refl. See Hije.
Hewing, n. hurrying, fast travel-
ling, 2440.
Hei^resse, n. pi. S. hairs, t c. hair-
278
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
cloths (by way of penance), 4778.
Cf. P. PI. A. v. 48. The spelling
heiyesse for heiyes is like that of
bodiesse for bodies, 3767, and lordesse
for lordes* 4539. A.S. Tiara, a
hair-doth.
Hel,*. S. a hill, 2233, 2318; jrf.
helles, 2432.
Held, n. S. (put for Eld), age,
403.
Helden. See Halde.
Hele, v. S. to hide, conceal, 960,
4206 ; 2 p. s. pr. subj. hele J>ou,
945. Ch.
Hele,v. S. to heal, 595 ; pp. heled,
1329, 1575.
Hele, n. S. health, 597, 1375. Ch.
Helpes,imp. pi. S. help ye, 2378;
helpefc 4409 ; pt. s. halp, 2206 ;
pp. holpen, 3611; holpe, 4012,
4149 ; holp, 4494.
Helplich, adj. helpful, f 187.
Hem, pron. dat. to them, 169;
ace. them, passim. Hemself (them-
selves), 812, &c.
Hende, v. to end, 540.
Hende, n. end, 2333, 4178.
Hende, adj. courteous, gentle, 106,
184, 348, 362, f 665, &c. ; hend,
165, 1103. O.N. hendt, adapted ;
Dan. and Sw. hdndig.
Hende, adv. at hand, near, 278,
2513.
Hendeli, adv. courteously, gently,
1917, 4311 ; hendely, 269, 523,
t!87, f248 ; hendli, 2469, 3032;
hendly, 2785.
Heng, pt. s. hung, 734.
Henne, adv. hence, 1746, 2553 ;
hennes, 329. Ch.
Hennes-for]), henceforth, 1050.
Hent, v. S. to take, catch, get,
2394; 1 p.pr. s. hent, 414; 2 p.
pr. s. hentest, 2787 ; pr. s. hentes,
f 527 ; hentis, 907 ; 1 p. pt. s. hent,
615 ; pt. s. hent, 150, 1010, 2754,
&c.; pt. pi. henten, 4023; hent,
2420. Hentes vp (catches up),
1896 ; hent vp (caught up), 3948.
Hepus, n. pi. hips, "berries, 1811.
Her, conj. ere, 1516. See Er.
Herande, Herend. See Erand.
Herberwed, #p. harboured, lodged,
1626. Ch.
Herberes, n. pi. garden-plots,
1768. See P. PL Crede, 166.
Herde,w. S. host, army, 1120.
Herden,^. pi. heard, 1298.
Here, pers. pron. her, 1716, &c. ;
hire, 150, &c; hir, 673, &c. ;
hure, 2915. The spelling hire is
the commonest ; hure occurs but
once ; here is used of the sun, 3073.
Here, Hire, poss. pron. her. See
page 95.
HeiQ, poss. pron. their, 14, 73, &c.
Here-bi-fore, heretofore, 3043,
3959.
Herende. See Erande.
Heres, 2 p. imp. pi. hear ye,
2291, 2624. Cf. Herden.
Herien, v. S. to praise, 1875 ;
herie, 5208, f 703 ; pt. pi. heriede,
1798; heri^eden, 3461; pp. he-
ri^ed, 4484, 5372; heried, 4577,
f 536 ; pres. part, heriend, 1584.
Ch. See Heili.
Heried, pt. s. S. harried, harrowed,
3725. An allusion, to "The Har-
rowing of Hell."
Herken, v. S. to hearken, 213; 2p.
imp. pi. herkenes, 2248, 2617.
Hert, n. S. a hart, 2569.
Herted, pp. encouraged, 3417.
Herre. See Heie.
Hertily, adv. heartily, 97, 102 ;
hertly, 3324.
Herto, adv. hitherto, 4656.
Hese, n. ease, 1638, 3208.
Hest, n. S. command, 468, 495,
2137, 2146, &c. ; heste, 1 160.
A.S. Ms.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
!79
Hete, i>. S. to bid, tell, 1021 ; 1^?.
pr. s. hete, 572, 1002, 1626 ; pt. s.
1082, 2045, 2089; hett, f543;
imp.pl. bete, 4159. See also Hote,
ffijt
Hetterly, adv. violently, angrily,
150, 886, 1243 ; hetterli, 2756.
Cf. A.S. Juetol, hot, furious ; Sw.
hetta, heat ; O.N. heitr, hot, angry.
See Gawayne and the Grene Knitf.
Heue vp, v. to heave up, 348.
Hewe, n. S. hue, 3502, 3572.
Hewen,^?. hewn, 3616.
Hi, they, f 231.
ITiden, v. S. to hide, 4697 ; hude,
2743. And see Hed.
Hider, adv. hither, 2277.
Hider-to, hitherto, up to the pre-
sent time, 3510.
Hidous, adj. hideous, 3177, 3201,
3218.
Hidus, n. pi. hides, 3201.
Hight. eeHi3t.
Him, referring to day, 2993.
Hir, Hire. See Here.
Hirne, n. S. a corner, 3201 ;
hurne, 688. Ch.
Hirt, pt. s. hurt, 3607.
His, put for Is, 3836.
Hise, poss. pron. pi. his, 4115.
Hit, it, 198, 470, &c.
Hiae, v. S. to hasten, haste, 1082,
1286, 2146, 3454, 4162, 5258;
hei3 us, 1746 ; rn^e hire, 1969 ; hL;e
me, 5196 ; used as transit, vb. to
make to haste, 1482 ; pt. s. hi^ed,
1261, 2177 ; pt. pi. hi^ed, 1123 ;
hwed hem, 1940; heuden, 2280;
he^eden, 2285 ; t^eden, 2878 ;
hidden, 4546; imp. pi. hi^es,
4486 ; hues 2ou, 1187 ; hebe sou,
1051.
Hrjt, 1 p. pr. s. am called, 70; pt.
s. hist (was called), 2838, 2918;
hight, f 23, f 34 ; hyght, f 52, f 119,
|133; pt. pi hyten, 4775; pp.
hote, hoten. See Hote. Cf. A-l^t.
Hi^t, promised. See Hote.
Ho, pron. who, 188, 4919 ; pi.
ho, 2733. Ho-so (whoso), 1286,
4519; hoo-so, 2135.
Hok, n. S. oak, 1793. See Ok.
Hoi, adj. S. whole, sound, 1056,
1566, 1655, 3522.
Holde, n. S. a fortress, place of
strength, 2836, t 257 ; hold
(prison), 4573 ; pi. holdes, 5472,
f921.
Holde, Holden. See Halde.
Holde, adj. S. faithful, true, 2833,
3773.
Holle, adj. whole, complete, |521.
Holli, adv. wholly, 1106; hol-
lich, fll7; holliche, 945, 974;
holly, 495, 531, 534, f 327.
Holpe, Holpen. See Helpes.
Holw, adj. hollow, 1793.
Hom-kome, n. home-coming, 807.
Homward, homeward, 2477, 2487.
Hond-werk, n. handiwork, crea-
tures, 929.
Honget, pp. hung, 2020 ; hong-
ed, 2086.
Hony, n. S. honey (as a term of
endearment), 1655.
Hope, 1 p. pr. s. I "believe, think,
1344, 1780 ; pt.pl. hopeden, 4308.
Hordere, n. order, 4461.
Hors, n. pi. horses, 1940, 4187,
4281, 4820. Hors charge (horses'
load), 388.
Hote, 1 p. pr. s. I tell, 1123,
1384, 4989 ; imp. s. hote, 4162 ; 1
p. pt. s. hi^t (promised), 1030 ; pt. s.
hi2t (promised), 58; het (called),
523 ; pp. hoten (called), 405, f 13 ;
hote, 3497, f 172, f 364. See also
Hete, Hi$t.
Hotend, pres. part, hooting,
shouting, 2387. See Hoot in
Wedgwood.
Hou2, adv. how, 4265 ; hov,
97, 98, 225.
280
GLOSS ARIAL INDEX.
Hones, 723. See the note.
Hude, v. S. to hide, 2743. Of.
Hiden, Hed.
Hue, she, f 34, f 36, f 39.
Hulde, v. to flay, take off the
covering or hide, 1708 ; 1 p. pi.
imp. hulde, 2587. "From the
same root proceeds the modern
verb to hull, to take off the hull or
husk. It corresponds to the Goth.
and-huljan, Lu. x. 22. Hence also
A.S. kyldere, a butcher." M.
Hules, pr. s. fondles, lulls, hushes,
97. See Hull in Wedgwood.
Hupes, n. pi. hips, f 190.
Hur, her, f 185; (their), f 4, f65.
See Here.
Hure, v. S. to hear, 3270.
Hurne. See Hirne.
Hurtel, v. F. to strike together,
meet together with a shock, 5013.
See the note. Ch.
Hye$. See Heie.
I-, Y-, a prefix, used (in these
poems) chiefly in past participles,
where it represents the A.S. ge- ;
or as an abbreviation for in, as in
i-fere, y-fere, i-liue.
[The past participles are here collected
for convenience. ~]
I-armed, armed, f 485.
Ibene, been, f 1023.
I-bent, bent, f 181.
I-bet, bettered, remedied, 4613.
Ibore, born, f849.
Iborne, born, f 642.
Ichaped. See I-schapen.
I-charged, loaded, 2499.
I-cloped, clothed, 2416.
I-corue, carved, f 569.
I-dijt, prepared, 3918.
I-fed, fed, 768.
Ifenked, vanquished, f 117.
Igett, begotten (or, perhaps,
born), t 633.
Igraue, graven, f 830.
Igrett, greeted, worshipped, |731.
I-herd, heard, f 656.
I-holde, held, f 598.
I-horsed, mounted, 1950.
I-kid, known, renowned, f 453.
Ilaide, laid, f 203.
I-lengped, lengthened, 1040.
Imaked, made, f 630.
I-painted, painted, 1 733.
I-proued, proved, 4661.
I-putt, put, f 845.
I-quelled, killed, 1166.
I-schapen, shaped, 2634 ; i-
schape, f 191, f 628 ; ischaped,
j-186; ishape, f732.
I-seie, seen, 1874.
I-sett, set, f 339, f 618, f 728.
I-slayne, slain, 3908.
I-told, told, 1493.
[See also under Y-.]
Iced, pt. pi. issued, 3789. See
Isch in Jamieson.
Ich, I, 548, 598, 624, &c.
Icham, (for Ich am), I am, 594,
1743, 3951.
Ich, each, 332, 510. See Eche.
I-fere, together, 2180, 2523, f 340.
See Infere.
Iknowe, v. to know, f 607. [The
only instance of an infinitive pre-
ceded by i-.]
Hlk,pron. S. same ; almost always
preceded by pat. Hence, pat ilk =
that same, that very, 281, 688,
2878 ; used absolutely (that very
thing, that very time), 531, 629,
1041, &c. Also, pis ilk, 2263;
pat ilk selue (that very same), 4106.
Spelt pat ilke, 1041; pat ilche,
Ch.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
281
I-liue, in life, i. e. alive, 1690.
Imped, set, lit. engrafted, f 616.
Incle, v. to give an inkling of, to
hint, f 616.
In-fere, together, 2984, 3300,
3342. Cf. I-fere, Y-fere, Fere.
Inkest, sup. adj. darkest, blackest,
f 1061. [The word is a little doubt-
Inne, n. an inn, lodging, 1485,
1524, 1574, &c.
limed, pt. s. lodged, 2479; pp.
1638. Wycl. Gloss,
I-now, adv. enough, 483, 1121 ;
i-nov, 100; i-nou5, 714; i-nome,
1673 ; y-now, 836 ; y-nou^, 118.
loly, adj. F. jolly, i. e. pleasant,
pretty, 3479.
loyned, pp. adjoined, adjoining,
751.
Ira, adj. iron, 3232. Cf. Yren.
Is, put for His, 8, 69, 181, &c.
Both spellings occur in 1. 4369.
It-selue, itself, 3116.
luste, v. to joust, 1237. P. PL
lustislich, adv. justly, exactly,
closely, 1724; iustili, 2596 ;
iustly, 751.
lurnes, n.pl. journeys, 4286.
I-wisse, adv. verily, truly, 697,
739, 960, &c. ; i-wis, 3397. See
Y-wisse. Ch.
[For some words beginning with ka,
ko, ku, see under C.]
Kairus, go ye, 1 623. See Caire.
Kan. See Can.
Kares, imp. pi. be ye sad, be
anxious, f 5 63. Cf. Carestow.
Karp, Karpes. See Carpen.
Kast, sb. design, f!46. Ch.
Kastyng, sb. casting, 942.
Kau^t. See Cacche.
Kaysers, n. pi. Caesars, emperors,
483.
Kechene. See Kichen.
Ked, adj. renowned, famous,
f556. See Kid. [In P. PL A. xi.
56, MS. U has kedde where MS.
T has kid.]
Kempe, n. S. knight, champion,
4029 ; kemp, 3746 ; pi. kempes,
3352. A.S. cempa. Icel. kempa.
Ken, n. kindred. See Kin.
Ken, n. pi. kine. See Kin.
Kende. See Kenne, v. intr.
Kende, adj. natural. See Kinde.
Kendely. See Kindeli.
Kene, adj. keen, eager (said of
thought), 616 ; (cold), 908 ;
(kisses), 1011 ; (knights), 1205.
Keneli, adv. sharply, eagerly,
shrilly, 4843 ; kenely, 152, 859 ;
kenly, 37, 2174 ; kenliche,
2532. *
Kenne, v. tr. to inform, shew, in-
struct, charge, 1665 ; pt. s. kenned,
2212, 5205 ; pt. pi. kenned, 343;
imp. pi. kennes, 591. " Kenne, or
teche. Doceo" Prompt. Parv.
Kenne, v. intr. to know, f 623 ;
pt. s. kende, 1 193 ; pt. pi. kende,
f 367. Ch. " Kennyn, or knowyn.
Agnosco" Prompt. Parv.
Kepen, v. S. to keep, take care
of, 8 ; kepe, 66, 123 ; 1 p. s. pr.
kepe = I care, intend, wisli, 993 ;
kepe = I tend, 244 ; kepe = I re-
gard, desire, 4738 ; pt. s. keped,
171 ; pt. pi. keped, 187 ; kepten,
. 3645 ; pp. kepud, 5 ; ceput, 4094.
Kerneles, n. pi. battlements,
2858 ; cournales, f 295 - Ch.
Rom. Rose, 4195. P. PI. A. vi.
78. 0. F. crenelx.
Kesse, v. S. to kiss, 5045 ; pt. s.
kest, 63, 1265, 1570, 3205 ; keste,
1587, 1613, 4015; kessed, 1833;
kessede, 4239 ; kust, 675 ; pt. pi.
keste, 3100 ; kest, 2424 ; pp. kest,
859 ; pres.part. kessing, 1396. Ch.
Kessing, n. kissing, 1053, 3076,
282
GLOSSAR1AL INDEX.
3474; kesseng, 3659. [Always
joined with clipping.]
Kete, adj. bold, fierce (?), or quick,
smart (?), 330, 3793. A rare word,
of which the following are instances.
We find, "in a poem of the .13th
century :
Pikede beth the shete,
And wormes ther beth kete
To don the soule tene.
Sawe ofSeint Bede, MS.
Digby 86, f. 127 6." M.
We also find mention of " a king
kete," Eel. Ant. ii. 9 ; and the
beams of the sun are called "kete,"
in Wright's Popular Treatises on
Science, p. 138, 1. 262 of the Eng-
lish fragment. Cf. also "Clerkes
and kete men," P. PL A. xi. 56,
where kid and kedde are other read-
ings. " In our text, the most
obvious etymology seems to be
the Teut. 'kut, Belg. kuyt, audax,
ferox." M. Coleridge suggested
O. N. katr, dad; and the Sw.
katiffhed, boldness, may also be
worth considering. Or again, as
we find the forms moulder and
smoulder, knap and snap, we may
connect it with the O. E. skeet,
O. N. skjottr, sharp, quick, which
is connected with to shoot and to
skate. This would give the sense
sharp, quick, or smart, which seems
not inappropriate. See Ketli.
Ketli, adv. quickly, smartly (?),
3023; ketly, 1986, 2105. See
Kete.
KeJ>J>e. See Ki]>en.
Keuer, v. tr. F. to make to recover,
to heal, 635; keuere, 1521;
kuuere,to attain to, 128; keueren
him gate = to procure or make for
himself a passage, f 904 ; pt. s.
cuuerede (recovered), 2824; pt.pl.
keuered hem = obtained for them-
selves, f 235 ; also (2) keuer, v.
intr. to recover, become whole,
1488 ; pt. s. keuered, made good
his retreat, retreated, 3625 ; pt. pi.
keuered, 3647 ; cf. vp-keuerede,
2759 ; pp. keuered, procured, made
ready (unless it means covered),
4450. [Connected with F. re-
couvrer, Lat. recuperare.~]
Keuered, pt. s. covered, 3034;
pp. keuered (unless it is from the
preceding), 4450. [Connected with
F. couvrir, Lat. coope.rire.~\ See
Kuuere.
Kicben, n. kitchen, 2171 ;
kychene, 1707 ; kechene, 1681.
Kid, pt. t. and pp. of KiJ>en, q. v.
Also, as adj. renowned, famous, far-
known, fll, f!72, t310, f597;
kud, 51, 111, 114, 501, 512,
713, &c. ; kedj f 556 ; sup. kuddest,
631, 3047, 4231 ; in the first of
which it simply means best. " It is
very evident, that the adj. andjojo.
of kibe are one and the same
word." M.
Kin, n. S. kindred, 584 ; ken,
513, 722; kun, 110.
Kin, n. pi. kine, 480, 503 ;
ken, 6; kyn, 244.
Kinde, adj. natural, related,
spoken of that which is conferred
by kindred or acquired by birth,
128, 3138, 3474, 4098 ; kynde,
241 ; kende, 513 ; kyn, 364.
Kinde, n. S. nature, kindred,
birth, 107, 109, 821, 3136 ; -
kynde, 1445, 2506 ; bi kinde = by
birth, 1425 ; bi kynde, 507.
Kindeli, adv. by nature, kindly,
in an accustomed manner, 1265,
1570; kindely, 111, 522;
kindliche, 1697 ; kindeliche,
1613; kyndely, 14; kynde-
liche, 1396; kendeli, 4867;
kendely, 1110.
Kinghod, n. S. kingly office, 4059.
King-riche, n. S. kingdom, 2127.
Kinbed, n. S. kindness, such as
one relation shews to another,
4514.
Kinnesman, n. S. kinsman, 365.
[Probably an error for Thomasin ;
see note.]
Kinrade, n. S. kindred, 522.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
283
ib, n. S. country, 4254, 4511,
f241, t298; kith, +48, f 65,
f591.
Kijjen, v. S. to cause to know, to
make known, shew, declare, 1 162 ;
kibe, 1184, 2126, 2986, 4086,
f286; kithe, f655 ; kube,
1680 ; kebbe, 4964 ; 2 p. s. pr.
kubest, 603; kibes, 4515, f509;
pr. s. kibes, t 298, f 529 ; kithes,
1 716, f 783 ; pt. s. kudde, 231 ;
kid, f 222, f 842 ; pt. pi. kidden,
2301,4526; bidden, 1223 ; kibed,
5287 ; killed, 1011 ; imp. s. kibe,
626 ; pp. kid, f 169 ; kyd, 321,
A.S. cytan. [In 1. 2301, kidden
= shewed how to rather than knew
how to.]
Kleped. See Clepe.
Knaue, n. S. a boy, 2394. Ch.
Knightweede, n. S. knight's cloth-
ing, armour, f 544.
Knoulecheden, pt. pi. acknow-
ledged, 4782.
Knowen, v. S. to know, 577 ; 2
p. s. pr. knowes, 1174 ; knowestow
(knowest thou), 5365 ; 2 p. pi. pr.
knowen, 594 ; 2 p. s. pt. knew,
3182 ; pt. pi. kneu, 2209 ; pp.
knowe, 726. Ch.
Kolieres, n. pi. colliers, 2523;
choliers, 2520.
Komaundinent, n. commandment,
1084.
Kome. See Com.
Konichauns, n. F. cognisance,
badge, 3569. P. PI. Crede, 185.
Konyng. See Conyng.
Kontre, Kontrey. See Cuntre.
Koraious. See Coraious.
Kortesie, n. F. courtesy, 3926 ;
kurteysie, 501.
Kortesliche. See Curtesliche.
Kosses, n. pi. kisses, 1011.
Kouchid him, laid him down,
2240.
Koueyne. See Couyne.
Koure, v. to cower, crouch down,
kneel, f 558. See Couren.
Kowden. See Can.
Krepe of, creep out of, 3084. See
Crep.
Kud. See Kid, Kiben.
Kun. See Kin.
Kunne. See Can.
Kuntenaunce. See Contenaunce.
Kunteyned, j?. s. demeaned him-
self, 3301. See Contenaunce.
Kurteyslyche. See Curtesliche.
Kust. ^See Kesse.
Ku]>e, Ku]?est, Ku)>j)ed. See
Kiben.
Kubbes, n. pi. S. manners, habits,
331.
Kuuere, (1) v. E. to cover, 1037;
pt. s. and pp. keuered, q. v.
Kuuere, (2) v. F. to attain to r
succeed, 128. See Keuer.
Kyrke, n. church, 4086.
Lac, v. S. to lack, be without, 453.
[Sir F. Madden suggests to read
laty dismiss : I think lac may stand.]
Laced, pt. s. laced up, 1736.
Lachen, v. S. to catch, receive,
take, acquire, embrace, f 4, f 199 ;
lache, f 123, f 214 ; pr. s. lacchis,
4525 ; imp. s. lacche, 666 ; pt. s.
lau^t, 1234, 2237, 4708 ; lau^t
lond (landed), 2761 ; laught leue-
(took leave), f250; la^t vp
(caught up), 2308 ; lau^t out (drew
out), 1244; pt. pi. lauiten leue,.
5413; Iau3t leue, 5087, 5201;
lachte (they embraced, greeted, i.e.
the Phocians and their allies),
f 427 ; pp. lau^t, 671 ; lauht, f 161.
A.S. laccan, gelaccan, whence E.
c-lutch.
Ladde, pt. s. led, 1609, 2618 ; pt.
pi. ladden, 1226, t 20 ; ladde,
4292; lad, 459 ; ledden (governed),
5463.
284
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Lafte. See Leue (2).
Laike. See Layk.
Lang, long, 4130.
Langes. See Long.
Langour, n. F. languishing, faint-
ness, pain, 918, 986, f 245 ;
langor, 869 ; langure, 737; pi.
langoures, 1034. Ch.
Langured, pp. F. pined, lan-
guished, 983.
Lappen, v. S. to lap, wrap, 1712;
lappe, 2576 ; pt. s. lapped, 1908 ;
pp. lapped, 740, 2153, 2246.
Laske, v. F. to relax, slacken;
hence, to shorten, 570 ; lask it ( =
lask it, relax it, assuage it), 950.
Cf. O.E. lascher; Sc. lasche (lazy);
E. lax, slack ; Sw. Idska-dryck
(cooling-draught); Sw. sloka, to
droop, &c. Cf. Lask, sb. in Halli-
well.
Lasse, adj. comp. less, 1079, 1490,
2414, &c. Ch.
Last, conj. lest, 641, 953, 2971.
Last, pp. lasted, endured, 1281 ;
pres. part, lastend (enduring,
strong), 1736.
Late, v. S. to let, permit, 2680 ;
2 p. s. imp. late, 2336, 2355 ; 3 p. s.
pr. subj. late, 2581 ; 2 p. pi. pr.
subj. late, 985 ; late me worjj,
2355, 3597; cf. t!186. See Lete.
Lai^eden, pt. pi. laughed, 1784.
Lau^t. See Lachen.
Launced, pt. s. launched, i. e.
leapt, 2755. Cf. F. se lancer, and
see Lans in Jamieson.
Launde, n. a lawn, or open space
in a wood, f 520, f 710. Ch.
Layk, sb. a " lark," a game, play,
678, 1784; laike, 3110. Sw. lek.
Layke, v. to play, 1021 ; pt. s.
layked, 1026 ; layked him, 31,
1411 ; pt. pi. laykeden, 3110 ;
pres. part, layking, 699.
Layne, v. to conceal, act falsely,
906, 918, 1309. O. N. leyna.
Leame. See Leme.
Lebard, n. F. leopard, 2935 ;
lybard, 2896 ; pi. lebardes, 2874.
Leche, n. S. a physician, 576,
1032 ; pi. leches, 1328. Ch.
Ledden. See Ladde.
Ledes. See Lud.
Lederes, gen. sing, leader's, pro-
vost's, 2303.
Leef, Leefe, adj. See Leue.
Leef, leave we, 1836. See Leue.
Leese, Leeue. See Lese, Leue.
Lef, adj. lief* dear, 1879, 4372 ;
(glad), 517 ; as sb. (dear one, the
dear one), 2314, 1645 ; lef Jrinkes
(seems dear, i. e. pleases), 384 ;
cf. leefe thought (pleased), f60;
leefe, f 774 ; leef, 1839;
leue, 341, 666, 887, 1183, f 847 ;
leeue, f 226 ; sup. leuest, 3213. Ch.
Leflich, adj. trustful, f 427 ;
leeflich (trusty), f 139. A. S.
leofltc, lovely, faithful. Cf. Leue.
Lege, adj. F. liege, 1174, 2663,
3004.
Legge, v. S. to lay, 3234 ; pp.
leide, 1448. Ch.
Leie, pt. pi. See Ligge.
Lei, adj. F. loyal, leal, true, just,
5119; pi. lele, 1312. 4158; sup.
lellest, 4809.
Lelen, v. to make leal, sanction,
authorize, 5284.
Lelli, adv. F. loyally, leally, truly,
687, 1281, 1807 ; lelly, 985,
989;-lelliche, 117, 999 ;-lellyche,
357; lelich, 1 64 ; sup. leliest, 592.
[ It occurs more than 30 times.']
Leme, n. a limb, 1736.
Leme, n. gleam, light, f 774 ;
leame, f 1078. Ch.
Lemman, n. S. (lief-man), love,
sweetheart, 663, 666, 695, 717,
&c. [Used of both sexes.'] Ch.
Lende, v. to tarry, stay, 1466.
See Leind in Jamieson. Cf. Lengen.
QLOSSAKIAL INDEX.
285-
Lene, 3^. s. imp. grant, impart,
give, bestow, afford, 327 ; 2 p. s.
imp. 4398 ; pt. s. lente, 1233 ; lent,
885 ; pt. pi. lent, 22 ; pp. lend,
4578. Ch.
Lengen, v. S. to tarry, stay, re-
main long, dwell, f 44 ; lenge,
5421, 5538; leng, f 455, f 758;
pr. s. lenges, 843, 5536; lenge J>,
2070 ; 2 p. pi. pr. lengen, f 1 ; pt-
s. leiiged, 2842; pt. pi. lenged,
2205, 5408, 5462; pp. (be]?)
lenged, 1457 ; (is) lengged, f 196.
A.S. lengian, to prolong. [In 1.
2680, the MS. can be read leng]>e
orlengye; read lengye, another form
of the infinitive.']
Lenger, longer, 633, 1113, &c.
Ch.
Lengjje, v. S. to lengthen, 957 ;
miswritten lenge^, 1944; imp. pi.
leng^es, 4348 ; length 4353 ; pp.
lengged, 1351, 1549 ; miswritten
lengej?d or lengeyd, 2345.
Lep, pt. s leapt, 702, 2756.
Lere, n. S. countenance, features,
227. A.S. hleor. P, PL
Leren, v. S. to teach, 4770 ; 1 p.
pr. lere, f 325 ; pt. s. lerde, 341 ;
pp. lered (taught, learned), f 603,
j-1152. A.S. /^rara.
Lere, v. S. to learn, 119. Ch.
Lese, n. S. a pasture, 175, 3138,
3141. See Lease, Leasow, in Halli-
well; cf. A.S. lam. It is not the
plural of lea.
Lese, v. S. to lose, 1258, 1484,
1645, f 280 ; leese, f 378 ; pr. pi.
lesen, f 126 ; imp. s. les, 988 ; imp.
pi. leses, 3369 ; pt. s. les, 887,
1234. Ch.
Lesed, pp. See Lissen.
Lesten, v. to listen to, 31 ; 1 p.
imp. pi. lesten, 3528; 2 p. imp. pi.
lestenes, 1183, 3329 ; listenes, 170,
1929; lustenek 384; lesteneh
4607; lesten, 1439. Ch.
Lestes. See Listes.
Lestejj, pr. s. lasts, 5538.
Leten, v. to forego, let go, leave,
forsake, 2184; 1 p. s. pr. lete, 382,
5465 ; pt. s. let (Iwtere of, i. e.
thought the less of), 2119 ; 1 p. pi.
imp. let, 3528 ; imp. pi. lettes, 1186 r
3 p. pr. subj. lette, 4144 ; pp. lete
(left), } 563. As a simple aux-
iliary vb. it is spelt late, q. v. It
is common with infinitives in the
sense to cause ; as, he let sende,
2145 ; lete wite, 2171 ; let make,
5532. See Do. For the phrase,
lete him worj>e, f 1186, see note to
"Werwolf," 3597.
Le]>erly, adv. wickedly, evilly,
1231 ; lujjerli, 2646, 3151;
luj>erly, 2334, 2775. See Li)>er.
Letrure, n. F. letters, reading,
fll52. Ch.
Lette, n. S. stay, hindrance, 1340,
2685, 4751. Ch.
Lette, v. S. to prevent, hinder,
1253, 3552, 4258 ; lett, 2971,
f!49. Cf. Late, Lete. [It is
worth noting that this verb, in the
sense to permit, is usually spelt
late ; in the sense to forego, it is
lete ; in the sense to prevent, it is-
lette.] Cf. A.S. ketan, lettan.
Lettered, pp. learned, instructed,
4088.
Letteres, n. pi. (in sing, signifi-
cation), a letter* 4842, 4844.
Leue, v. S. to helieve, 708, 4175 ;.
1 p. s. pr. leue, 497, 1032, 4105 ;
leeue, f 639 ; 2 p. s. pr. leuestow
(believest thou), 2358; imp. s.
leue, 1553 ; imp. pi. leue, 1351,.
2071; leueth, 5068. Ch.
Leue, v. S. to leave, 2358 pt. s.
lafte, 1858 ; pp. leued, 83 ; 1 p. pi.
imp. leef, 1836 ; 2 p. pi. imp. leues,
1806. In neuter sense, to remain,
dwell, pt. pi. left, 1588 ; cf. Leuis.
Leue, adj. dear. See Lef.
Leued, pp. leaved, covered with
leaves, 22, 757.
Leuer, comp. adv. liefer, rather,
453, 546, 855, 918, &c. Of. Lef.
Ch.
286
GLOSS ARIAL INDEX.
Leuere. See Liuere.
Leuis, pr. s. lives, dwells, 525 ; cf.
left * 1. 1588. $?* Liuen.
Leute, n. F. loyalty, fealty, 4838.
Ch.
Leye, v. S. to lay ; " leye mi lif,"
2169 ; pr. s. leyes on (lays on),
1208. '
Liand, Ligand. See Ligge.
Libbing. See Liuen.
Liche, adj. like, 3678, 3698,
t/67.
Liche, n. S. body, f 195.
Lidene, n. S. speech, f 782 ;
ludene, f 601. A.S. lyden. Ch.
Lift, adj. left (arm), 2961, 5499.
Ligge, v. to lie, dwell, 2194,
3062, f 689 j lygge, f 1158 ; pr. s.
ligges, 166 ; lis, 965 ; pr. pi. lyen,
2266 ; pt. pi. leie, 4307; part. pres.
liand, 2180 ; ligand, 2246. Ch.
Liif, n. life, 957, 961, 994.
Liken, v. like, 2 p. pi. pr. 5529 ;
lyken, 162 ; as impers. vb. ( =.
pleases), likes me wel, 450 ; likes
]>e, 957, 1727 ; likes 3011 dere,
1050 ; pt. liked him, 28, 678 ; liked
hire, 2032 ; pres. part, likand
(pleasing), f 192; pp. lyked, 1012.
Liking, n. S. pleasure, 452, 2023 ;
likyng, 869, 1021. Ch.
Lime, n. S. limb, f 1121. Ch.
Lisse, n. S. comfort, happiness,
631,2828,5228. A.S. liss. Dan.
Use. Ch.
Lissen, v. to loosen, assuage,
mitigate, heal, 848 ; lisse, 631 ;
pp. hssed, 869 ; lesed, 1577. A.S.
lysan.
List, v. impers. pt. s. it pleases,
1 658 ; pt. s. lust, 1907 ; list, 2600.
A.S. lystan.
Listenes. See Lesten.
Listes, n. pi. lists (in the phrase,
lists of love), 740, 1057 ; lestes,
946.
Listli, adv. S. slily, 2742 ; -
lisdy, 2355 ; listely, 25. A.S.
listlice, artfully.
Litel and litel, 950.
Li]?, n. S. a joint, 1724. [It also
means a limb. Ch.]
Lifer, adj. S. wicked, evil, bad,
2169 ; luj>er, 5240. A.S. Ifier.
Ch.
Liuen, v. to live, 5394 ; pr. s.
leuis, 525 ; pt. pi. liueden, 4802,
5508 ; pres. part, liuande, 3678 ;
liuand, 1690 ; libbing, f 790.
Liuere, n. F. delivery (of blows),
" ;-leuere, 1233.
List, v. S. to lighten, gladden,
10. Ch.
Li^tere, comp. adv. lighter, less,
2119 ; Ibttere, adj. (nimbler,
lighter), 154.
Li^teli, adv. lightly, 702 ;
liitly, 1244; Ibtli, 1973; comp.
l^tliere, 1894.
Lo, lo! 731; loo, 1208.
Lof, n. S. love, 430.
Loged,#p. F. lodged, 1918.
Loke, v. S. to keep, guard, take
care of, 1757, 3166, 4770; imp. s.
loke, 430.
Lome, adv. frequently, often,
f 321 ; ilome, f 52 1- A - s -
Londe, n. S. land, 2763 ; lond,
2761; pi. londes, 1175, 3055.
Ch.
Long, v. S. to belong, f 547 ; pr.
s. longe>, 143 ; longes, 360 ; langes,
331 ; pt. s. longed, 73, 1147; longet,
2719 ; pt. pi. longede, 2766 ; pres.
part, longyng, f 635.
Loos. See Los.
Lorchipe (read lordchipe), n. S.
lordship, 3680 ; lorldschip, 3955.
\Cf. Lorld, Lorlde (for Lord),
3404, 3405.] Lordship = lords,
f335.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
287
Lordesse, n. pi. lords, 4539. Of.
Hei^resse.
Lordinges, n. pi. lords, 1183,
1206, 3004.
Lore, n. S. lore, learning, teaching,
advice, 328, 346, 2070, 2917. Ch.
Lore, pp. lost, 1360, 1556, 2584 ;
lorn, 668 ;-lorne, 4396. Ch.
Lorel, n. F. laurel, 2983.
Lorked, pt. s. lurked, slunk along,
25 ; pres. part, lorkinde, 2213.
Los, n. F. praise, 1386, 5132 ;
loos, 1448, 3973 ; loose, f 4.
Lat. law. Ch.
Losengeres, n. F. flatterers, 5482.
Ch.
Lojj. adj. S. loath ; him loj?
im),
( = it seemed loath to him
1255 ; hem loj> were, 5201. Ch.
Lojjed, pt. pi. loathed, f 335.
Lobli, adj. S. loathly, 50 ;
Ioelike,f99. Ch.
Loueliche, adj. S. lovely, 965 ;
adv. in a lovely mannner, excel-
lently, 975, 1315.
Louen, 2 p. pi. pr. love, 162.
Lourand, j?res. part, louring, 21 19.
Du. loeren. P. PI.
Louwe (hire), v. S. to lower her-
self, condescend, 708 ; pt. s. lowed,
695.
Lou^te, v. S. to bow, make obeis-
ance, submit, 2900 ; pt. s. louted,
3485 ; pt. pi. louted, 3464. A.S.
hlutan. Cf. A-louted. Ch.
Lowed. See Louwe.
Lud, n. S. a man, 452, 535,
1001, f 231, &c. ; lude, f 588 ;
lued, f 44 ; pi. ludes, 390, 525,
f331; ledes, 195, 1233. Londes and
ledes, 4001 ; londes and leedes (where
the MS. has leethes, with a d, or
a , above it), f 12. On this difficult
phrase see Sir F. Madden's reply
to Mr Singer's remarks on Havelok.
Cf. also Wedgwood on Lease, Leet.
It seems to mean "lands and
leases" or " lands and tenements,"
as Robert of Brunne uses it fre-
quently to mean tenements, rents^
or fees. The older form of the
word is lethe or lithe, and it may,
after all, not be connected in any
way with ledes, the plural of lud.
In 1. f 12, we surely ought to read
leefoes or le%es.
Lufsum, adj. S. lovesome, lov-
able, f 176.
Lust. See List.
Lusteneth. See Lesten.
Luberli. See Leberly.
Lybard. See Lehard.
Lykame, n. S. body, 227. P. PL
Lyked. See Liken.
Lyst, n. S. desire, inclination,
f 794. Ch.
Lysted,^. s. desired, f 776. Cf.
List.
Lyte, adv. S. little, 1 323.
Maat. See Mat.
Maister,rc. F. master, 2735, f 682 ;
pi. maistres, 2744.
Maistres, n. F. mistress, 1016.
Maistrie, n. F. mastery, victory,
f 170 ; maistry, 3341 ; -
maistrye, 3137. Ch.
Make, n. S. mate, companion,
1898, 2498, f 249, f 843, &c. ; pi.
makes, 1757. Ch.
Makeles, adj. matchless, f 799.
Makes, imp. pi. make ye, 4933 ;
pp. maked, 1951, 4131, 4933 ; mad,
4876 ; pres. part, makende, 2985.
Malencoli, n. F. anger, 4362.
Malskrid, pt. s. wandered, 416.
Probably with the sense of be-
wilderment ; cf. Maskede in Halli-
well, Mask in Coleridge's Gloss-
arial Index, and masquer in Burguy.
Malskred seems = bewildered,
MM. Poems, ed. Morris. C. 255.
Manchipe, n. S. manhood, courage,
3337 ; manchip, 2676.
288
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Maner, n. manner, kind (used
without Qi following}, 698, 1155,
3278.
Manerli, adv. in a mannerly way,
5008.
Manhede, n. S. manhood, 431 ;
man-hede, 4390 ; manhed,
197. Ch.
Mankynne, n. S. mankind, 143.
Manly, adv. S. manly, hence,
fittingly, suitably, 1042, 2040;
manli, 2690, 3341 ; manliche,
2325, 3253; manlich, f 375.
"This adverb is often used as a mere
expletive, merely to fill up the al-
literation, as manly hem meked,
1276."-M.
Manly, adj. S. manly, 1424; sup.
manlokest, 3419.
Manquellere, n. S. mankiller,
murderer, 993.
Marche, n. S. boundary, limit of
territory, territory, f 312, f 1031 ;
pi. marches, 2214, |14, f!37; no
doubt marques is written for, or is
equivalent to, marches, f 173 : of.
t!4.
Mark, v. F. to inflict by way of
reprisal, f 497 ; merken, f 284 ;
pt. s. marked, f 932. 0. F.
" marguer, user de represailles."
Roq. Cf. the phrase, letters of
marque.
Marques. See Marche.
Marres, pr. s. mars, harms, 1171 ;
pp. marred (bitterly vexed, mad-
dened with chagrin), 438, 664,
884,995,|1041.
Marring, n. a harming, injuring,
4362.
Mase, 1 p. pr. s. am confounded,
am at a loss, 438 ; pp. mased
(stupefied), 884. Cf. A-mased.
Massager, n. F. a messenger, 4156 ;
messanger, 4204 ;pl. massegeres,
4251 ; messageres, 1441 ;
messageris, 1382 ; messagers,
1465 ; messangers, 1330 ;
messangeres, 1143.
Mat, adj. F. dejected, faint,
almost dead, 2441 ; maat, 1776.
Du. mat. Fr. mat. G. matt. Cf.
Span, matar, to kill. Ch.
Maugre, n. F. ill-will, spite, harm,
i 932 ; used as an adv. in spite of,
1 101, f 680 ; mawgrey, 3745.
F. malgre. Ch.
May, n. S. maiden, 659. Mceso-
Goth. mawi. Ch.
Mayne, n. S. a company, host of
attendants, 416 ; meyne, 184,
202, 1199, 1573. G. menge. Moeso-
Goth. managei.
Mayntene, i\ F. to maintain,
2698 ; meintene, 3002 ; meyn-
tene, 3642 ; imp. pi. meyntenes,
2676. \Miswritten meynte, 1098.]
Mechef. See Meschef.
Mede, n. S. reward, 2135, 4726 r
5355 ; to mede (= by way of re-
turn, by way of security), 2341 ; to
medis (= by way of requital on
my part), 3253. P. PL Ch.
Mede, adj. meet, fitting, 604. Cf.
A.S. medeme.
Meded,^. s. bribed, 4646.
Medle, v. F. to mingle (in fight) r
f 93 ; pt. s. medled him (was busy),
2492, f 170 ; medled, 2325 ; pp.
medled (meddled), f 96 4. Ch.
[It occurs also in the shorter form
mele (2) q. v.]
Meken, v. to humble oneself, to
submit, 2118 ; meke him, 2104,
3928 ; 1 p. s. pr. meke me, 665 ;
pt. pi. meked hem, 1276 ; imp. s.
meke, 3919 ; imp. pi. mekes (quiet,
silence), 4604.
Mekeli, adv. S. meekly, 642, 659,
1480; mekkeli, 4456; mek-
liche, 408; mekeliche, 808.
Mele (1), v. S. to talk, speak,
discuss, 621, 4009 ; 2 p. pi. pr.
mele, 1342; pt. s. meled, 4684,
5204 ; pt. pi. meleden (twittered),
821. A.S. mdelan^ to speak, con-
verse. [Observe the distinction be-
tween this word and the next.~\
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
289
Mele (2).v. F. to mingle in fight, to
fight,3325 ; pt.s. meled (assembled),
1287 ; melled hire (busied herself),
1709, 1719. O.F. mesler, to meddle,
mingle, mell. [This verb is a
shortened form o/'medle, q. v.]
Meling, n. S. conversation, 760.
See Mele (1).
Meling, n. mingling, 5257 ; hence,
meling-while (hour of combat),
3858. See Mele (2).
Menden, v. F. to mend, 647 ;
imp. pi. mendes, 845.
Mene, v. S. to mean, intend, sig-
nify, tell, 4808; \p. s.pt. mente,
560 ; mennede, 1925 ; pt. s. ment,
641 ; pt. pi. mened, 4845 ; pp.
ment (intended, designed), 1819.
A.S. manan. Ch.
Mene, v. S. to bemoan oneself,
mourn, 493 ; pt. s. mened, 940 ;pp.
mened, 561, 1490. A.S. mdenan.
Menge, v. S. to tell, speak, men-
tion, '1422; mengge, 449;
meng, 613 ; minge, 1624, 1925,
1937, 4327, 5032, &c. ; munge,
831, 1441, 1635, 2616, 2735,4767 ;
- rnyng, 1404 ; pr. s. minges,
1067, t 839 ; 2 p. pi. pr. mingel?,
1876 ;\p.s. pt. munged, 4863 ;
pt. s. munged, 833 ; pi. pi. munged,
2999 ; minged, 3711 ; munged,
1335 ; pp. munged, 4847 ; minged,
2844 ; 1 p. pi. imp. munge, 3097 ;
menge, 794 ; myng, f 45. A.S.
myngian.
Mennes, gen. pi. men's, 6 ;
mennis, 480.
Mensk, n. S. honour, worship
(lit. humanity), 1257, 2028, 3900,
5527 ; menske, 313, 2050. Cf.
P. PI. Crede, 81. O.S. menniski.
Mensk, v. to honour, 4815 ;
menske, 4834 ; pp. menskked, 5132.
Menskful, adj. honourable, wor-
shipful, 202, 242, 405, 431, 508,
&c. ; menskfull, f 555 ; sup.
menskfulles[t], 1435.
Menskfully, adv. honourably, wor-
shipfully, 1142 ; menskfulli,
4992, 5048.
Menskliche, adv. honourably,
with worship, f 173. Cf. the pre-
Menstracie, n. F. minstrelsy,
1155, 1619, 3812; menstracye,
1951; minstracie, 5011.
Merciabul, adj. F. merciful, 4406,
5131 ; merciabule, 5146 ; -
mercy abul, 5118.
Merie, adj. S. pi. 1148, 1880;
merye, 821 ; mirie, 1905, f 821 ;
murie, 2853 ; rauri (houndes),
2192 ; sup. muriest, 4926.
Merken. See Mark.
MerJ>e, n. S. mirth, 823, 2017 ;
mur}>e, 1634.
Meschef, n. F. mischief, misfor-
tune, sorrow, 1044, 1247, 1362,
3096; mechef, 5131.
Mest, sup. adj. most, chief, 2735;
adv. chiefly, above all, 1433, 4729.
Mesurabul, adj. F. moderate, 333.
P. PI.
Mete, v. S. to meet, 815 ; imp.
pi. metej>, 3338.
Mete, v. S. to dream, 658, 862 ;
pt. s. mette, 2869; mett, f 726,
fl!42 ; met, |821 ; used reflexively ,
hire mette, 2920, 5497. Ch.
Meting, n. S. a dream, 900;
metyng, 698, 706, 716, 733, t 839,
&c. Ch.
Meued, pt. s. moved, 4285 ;
meeued, f 204 > ft- P l - meuede,
4330. Ch.
Meuwe, n. F. a mew, i. e. a cage,
prison, 3336. Ch.
Miche, adj. S. great, much, 117,
1362, 3555 ; rnich, f 600, f 932 ;
moch, 313 ; moche, 202, 891,
1073 ; muche, 2374. Cf. Mo.
Michel, adv. S. greatly, very, very
much, 4305 ; mochel, 367, 900,
1044, 1406, 1490, 2039 ; -
nmchel, 850. Ful mochel (very
19
290
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
much), 4095; to raochel (too
much), 1747. See Mo.
Midde,^>rep. with, 5009; mide,
2133 ; myd, 3143. A.S. mid.
Midesoiner, n. midsummer, 1464.
Middel-erbe, n. S. the earth, world,
1004.
Mildeliche, adv. S. mildly, 1898.
Mile-wei, n. a mile-way, used to
denote a very short space of time,
1578. Cf. Oh. Shipm. Ta. 276.
Minge, Minges, Minged. See
Menge.
Mires, n. pi. miry places, 3507 ;
ef. 2619.
Mirie. See Merie.
Misdone, v. tr. S. to wrong, harm,
2581 ; ft. pi. misdede, 2548; intr.
2 p. pi. pr. misdon (do amiss),
3949.
Misdrede ^ow, imp. pi. fear, 1567.
Misferde, pt. pi. fared amiss,
2999 ; pp. misfaren, 1359 ; misfare,
995.
Mis-gilt, 7i. S. offence, fault, 2118,
3919, 4792 ; mis-gelt, 3996,
4397 ; mis-gelt, 1541 ; misse-
gilt, 2104.
Mislikede me, pt. s. impers. mis-
liked me, 2039.
Misproude, adj. S. pi. haughty,
1 312 ; misseproude, 2944.
Missaide, 1 p. pt. s. reproved,
2040.
Misse, n. S. a fault, error, offence,
532 ; hence mysse, adv. amiss,
wrongly, 141, 1480. Perhaps in 1.
1480 myssetrowed is one word;
cf. Mistrowe.
Misse, v. S. to miss, 1016 ; pt.pl.
misseden, 1827-
Misseliche, adv. S. wrongly, 711 ;
missely (mistakenly), 207.
Misseproude. See Misproud.
Missespeche, n. S. evil report,
defamation, 1523. "In the same
manner is formed the Isl. mismali,
from mis and mali, loquela." M.
Mister, n. F. need, want, 1919.
O.F. mester ; Koq.
Mistrowe, n. S. mistrust, 3314.
Miswerche, v. S. to act amiss,
5148.
Mite ; in phrase a mite worjj
(the worth of a mite), 4543.
Mix, n. S. a vile wretch, 125. Cf.
FelJ>e, which is similarly used. A.S.
meox. O.E. mixe, filth. Hence the
pp. mixed = filthy.
"That fule traytour, that mixed
cherl." Havelok, 2533.
Mi^t. See Mow.
Mijth, n. S. might, 3508.
Mijthi, adj. S. mighty, 2859.
Mi3tow, thou mightest, 3041.
See Mow.
Mo, comp. adj. S. more, 1162,
1189, 1454, 2780, 5241 ; more
(greater), 3464.
Mo, adv. more, 1271, 3457. More
beter, 2134.
Moche, Mochel. See Miche,
Michel.
Mod, n. S. mood, mind, 1985.
Moder, n. S. mother, 242 ; gen.
sing, moder, 1177.
Molde, n. S. mould, i. e. earth,
85 ; mold, 377, 528, 618. Men
vpon molde is a common phrase,
both here and in P. PI.
Mornes, imp. pi. mourn ye, 633 ;
pt. s. morned, 1761; pres. part.
mornyng, 1640.
Morning, n. S. mourning, sorrow,
742 ; mornyng, 746.
Morwe, n. S. morning, 763, 776.
A morwe (on the morrow), 1296.
Most, Moste. See Mot.
Mot, 1 p. s. pr. I am obliged, I
must, I ought, 548 ; pr. s. mot,
4141, 4171 ; 1 p. pi- pr. mot, 3988 ;
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
291
2 p.pl.pr. mote, 1043 ; pt. s. most,
5188; pt. pi. moste, 1052; pr. s.
subj. mot (expressing a wish), 602,
1433,1547,4509; lp.pt. subj. most
(= might, would), 3252; pt. s.
subj. most, 3547, 3978, 4226, 4817;
must, ffi8 ; pt.pl. subj. most, 4798.
Mot nede, pr. s. 4141 ; most nedes,
pt. s. 5188. A.S. ic mot, pt. t. ic
moste.
Mountance, n. F. amount, 2391.
Mow, 1 p. s. pr. I may, I can, I
am able, 636, 3802 ; pr. s. 730,
2085, 3998 ; I p. pi. pr. mowe,
2794, 3903 ; 2 p.pl.pr. mow, 1458,
4092 ; pr. pi. mowe, 4162 ; 1 p. s.
pt. mwt (could), 2351 ; pt. s. mi^t,
3623 ; mi^th, 3621 ; pt. pi. mijth,
3539 ; mi2t, 3632. Mntow (=
mightest tnou), 3041. A.S. mag an,
pr. t. ic mag, pt. t. ic mihte. Moeso-
Goth. magan, pr. t. ik mag, pt. t. ik
mahta.
Muche. See Miche.
Muchel. See Michel.
Munde, n. S. mind, 4123.
Munge, Munged. See Menge.
Muntaynes, n. pi. F. mountains,
2619, 3507.
Mures, n. pi. moors, 2619. Of.
Mires in 1. 3507.
Murdred (to de]>e), pp. 2859 ;
murdered (to de)?e), 1774.
Muri, Murie. See Merie.
Mut, n. F. cry of hounds, 2192.
0. F. esmeute ; Cotgrave.
Mys, adj. false, 716. [But mys
is generally a substantive, or a pre-
fix, and I should prefer to read
mys-metyng.~] See Misse.
Myslych, adj. S. various, of all
kinds, f 1160. Moeso-Goth. missa-
leiks.
N. " This letter, by a species of
prosthesis, is often taken from the
end of an article or pronoun, and
prefixed to the substantive which
19
follows. Examples of this occur in
no nefy for non eij, 83 ; a noyne-
ment, for an oynement, 136 ; my
nother, for myn other, 468; thi
narmes, for thin armes, 666 ; Bister
neue, for Cistern cue, 2160, &c. See
Tyrwhitt's Gloss, in v. nale. The
practice existed in familiar writing
so late as the reign of Q. Elizabeth,
and, perhaps, later still." M. Cf.
note on Nones.
Na, adv. not, 1172. See Ne.
Namore, no more, 28l2, 2924,
4907; written na more, 2556; na
mo, 1271.
Nad (contr. from ne had), pt. s.
had not, 154; nade, 1358;-
nadde, 119, 1350, 2465 ; pt. pi.
nad, 460.
Nam. See Nym.
Nameliche, adv. S. namely, espe-
cially, 1203; namliche, 2604;
namli, 2508.
Namned. See Nempne.
Narmes. See under N.
Nas (contr. from ne was), was not,
278, 2784, f 460, &c.
Na)) (contr. from ne haj>), hath
not, 4934.
Napeles, adv. nevertheless, 1751,
4506, 5265. Ch.
Naueye, n. navy, collection of
ships, 2719. Ch.
Nay, adv. no, 251, 482, 543, 547,
1559, 1814, 1826, 2003, 2314,
&c. ; nai, 916, 965. There is
a clear distinction between no and
nay. No signifies assent to the pre-
vious speaker ; nay implies strong
denial, and is generally followed by
an oath. See No, and Nickes.
Ne, adv. not, nor, 315, 450, 457,
&c. Hence, nad for ne had; nis
for ne is ; nas for ne was; nath for
ne hath; nel for ne wil ; nere for
ne were ; nolde for ne wolde ; not
for ne wot ; nist for ne wist.
Ned, n. S. need, 3210; nede,
119 $ pi. nedes, 1436, 4164, 4251.
292
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
tf. s. needed, 1919.
Nedes, adv. of necessity, ne-
cessarily, 1042, 1679, 5185, 5188 ;
nede, 3922, 4141. A.8. neddes,
nedde.
Needely, adv. S. urgently, f 747 ;
nedelich (necessarily), f 817. Ch.
Nei}. See Nest.
Nei^h, adv. nigh, nearly, 434,
664, 686 ; nei^, 151 ; nebe,
1511 ; neie2, 3185 ; nesh, 979 ;
ney, 2074. Comp. nerre, 1911 ;
Jjenere, 758. Nei^honde (lit. nigh
hand), nearly, 1494 ; neb honde,
884; nei^h hondes, 438.
Nei3he, v. S. to approach, draw
nigh, 3230, 3241 ; ne^h, 278 ;
nye, t 493, f 700, f 764 5 pt. s.
nei3ed, 770 ; nebet, 2599 ; neiyed,
1606; neihed, f 739; nyed, f!36,
1 505 ; pt. pi. nebed, 4899 ; ney*-
)>ed, 2179. [/ 1. f 493 it may
mean, to annoy; cf. Noy^ed.]
Nei^ede, pt. s. S. neighed, 3238.
Nel (for ne wil), 1 p. s.pr. I will
not, 484, 718, 1098, 4907 ; pr. s.
nel, 986, 4260; pr.pl. neUe, 4937.
Nempne, v. S. to name, tell, 4213;
nymphe, 2179 ; pt. s. nemned,
368 ; pp. namned, f 524. Ch.
Nende ; here, a nende = an ende,
3946.
Nere (contr. from ne were), pr. s.
subj. were not, 714, 2409. Cf.
Nas.
Nere, Nerre. See Nei^h.
Nere, never, f 316 ; the usual
form, is neuer, 735, &c.
Nesche, adj. S. soft. In hard
and in nesche, 495 ; to harde and
to nesche, 534. Ch.
Nest, n. 83. " Nest and no nei3
(= nest and non ei}, i. e. nest and
no egg), evidently a proverbial
phrase." M.
Neuen, v. S. to name, tell, 2453,
2517. Ch.
Neuew, n. F. nephew, 1198, 3537,
4211; newe, 1023, 3418,
neweu, 5095, 5098 (in which
last line it seems to mean great-
nephew).
Newe, adv. S. newly, lately. 1354 ;
(anew), 2999.
Newene, v. S. to renew, 779.
Nickes with nay, refuses with a
"no," 4145. "A proverbial phrase
familiar to our old poets. See
Gawayne and the Grene Kni-^t, 706 ;
Pis till of Susan, st. xii. ap. Laing ;
Amis $" Amiloun, 2176, ap. Weber ;
Kina Estmere, 47, ap. Percy, and
Pinkerton's Scotish Poems, vol. iii.
pp. 15, 72, 82." M. Cf. Swed.
neka.
Nigramauncy, necromancy, 119 ;
nigremauncie, f 460, f 981.
Nigremaunciens, necromancers,
f887.
Nis (contr. from ne is), is not,
377,1357, 3210; nys, 712.
Nist. See Not.
No, adv. no, 2701, 3115; ne,
1556. See note on Nay.
No, put for Ne, not, 67, 85, &c.
Conversely, we find ne for no ; see
the preceding.
Nobul, adj. noble, 1109, 1198.
Noijjer. See Nofer.
Nold (for ne wold), would not,
Ip.s.pt. 1731, 1877;^. 5.561,
2692 ; nolde, 2184 ; pt. pi. nolde,
|236.
Nome, Nomen. See Nym.
Non, pron. no one, 396, 443,
2461 ; (neither of them) 2423 ; adj.
(=no) 509; no, 275, 1282;-
none, 74 ; adv. no, 2455.
Nones, for J>e, 1157, 2015. In
the note to 1. 7160 of Dr White's
Ormulum, vol. ii. p. 642, we find
" Forr ]>e naness, for the purpose.
This phrase is so written in the
MS., but its grammatical structure,
as admitted on the authority of the
late Mr Price and of Sir F. Madden,
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
293
requires the form forr \en aness,
being a slight variation of the A.S.
for loan anes, literally for the once.
In La^amon we have to \>an ones,
to \>nn one, for that only." For
further information, see the rest of
the note, and cf. the remark under
N.
Nory, n. F. nurse, 1511.
Not (for ne wot), know not, 1 p.
s. pr. 320, 541, 903, 4155 ; pt. s.
nist (for ne wist), 741.
Nbfer, conj. neither, 1675 ;
notyer, 722, 2385. "This broad
pronunciation is not peculiar to
the English provinces, but has also
been remarked in France, in such
words as chandoile for chandelle,
&c. A writer on the subject says,
" En general, quand, dans le Fran-
pais, se trouve un e ouvert, le
rustique y substitue oi" Melanges
sur les langues, p. 71. 8vo. Paris,
1831." M.
NoJ>er ; we find my nojjer (= myn
oj?er), my other, 468 ; no no)?er
(= non o}>er), no other thing, no-
thing else, 1679 ; spelt no nooj?er,
f 489, f 756.
Nov, adv. now, 78, 79 ; nou,
454 ; nouj?e, 1543; nowf>e, 354,
356, 603; no^e, 1005, 5032;
nou^, 626.
Nou^t, adv. not, 13, 299, 358,
450, &c. ; n. nothing, naught, 72,
83 ; miswritten nou^, 720.
Noyce, n. noise, 823.
Noynement, 136. A noynement
= an oynement, an ointment, un-
guent.
Noy^ed, pp. annoyed, grieved,
770, See note to Nellie.
Nyce, adj. foolish, 491. Ch.
Nym, v. to take (take prisoner),
1364; pt. s. nam, 1203, 2450,
f 468 ; nam hede (took heed), 368 ;
pt.pl. nomen (the nom. case being
sondes), 1309 ; pp. nome, 233Q.
Moeso-Goth. niman, pt. t. ik nam,
pi. weis nemum, pp. numam.
Nymphe. See Nempne.
0, art. and adj. one, a, 1112,
1350, 1628, 2461, 3017, 4033,
4321, 4733 ; on, 192, 403, 1345 ;
|>at on (the one), 1198.
0, miswritten for Or, 1455.
0, prep, on, f 258.
Of, prep, of, passim; (out of),
1039, 3084, 3141 ; (off), 1218 ;
(for), 442, 500. Brou^t of Hue,
brou^t of dawe (brought out of
life, brought out of day), killed,
1159, 3817 ; as opposed to on Hue.
As a verbal prefix, it is the A.S.
of- or a-. Moeso-Goth., Du., Dan.,
Swed., Isl. af-. It occurs in Of-
reche, Of-se, Of-sende, Of-sette,
Of-sou^t, Of -take ; see below.
Of-reche, v. to reach to, 3874 ;
pt. s. of-ramte, 1233. A.S. a-
rdscan. Cf. Rob. Glouc. 285,6.
Of-se, v. S. to perceive, 2223 ;
pt. s. of-sei, 2245 ; of-seie, 273,
2771 ; of-sey, 4444 ; of-seye, 224 ;
of-saw, 49, 3283 ; pf.pl. of-sewyen,
1221. A.S. of-seon.
Of-sende, v. S. to send after, send
for, 5293 ; pt. s. of-sent, 1081. See
of-sended in La^amon.
Of-sette, pt. pi. beset, 2648 ; pp.
of-sett, t 308, f 395. A.S. of-
settan.
Of-souhte, pt. s. searched out,
hence approached, fl^l?; PP- of-
somt (sought after), 1676 ; of-
sought (attacked), f 25. A.S. a-
secan.
Of-take, v. to overtake, 1275,
2198, 2398, 2590 ; pt. s. of-tok,
3895 ; of-toke, 3916 ; pt. pi. of-
toke, 3881. See oftake, atake, in
Wycl. Gloss., and oftake in Laja-
mon.
Of-turned, pt. pi. turned off,
stripped off, 2590. [Perhaps the
words of and turned should be
separated.]
Ofte, adv. S. oft, often, 1570;
comp. ofter, 610.
294
GLOSSAEIAL INDEX.
Oijjer, conj. or, 3130. See Oj?er.
Ok, n. S. an oak, 295.
Omage, n. F. homage, 1306,
5403, 5474.
On, prep, in ; often represented
in modern language by a-; see
Acts xiii. 36. On, dayes, by day,
244, 773. On face, in face,' 2634.
On felde, afield, 173. On gate, on
their way, 2092 ; see Gate. Fpon
hast, hastily, 5195. On heii, on
high, 2020. On Hue, alive, 2100
(cf. I-liue, 1690). On-loft, aloft,
j-1186. On morwe, in the morn-
ing, 3640. On nhtes, by night,
739 ; on a niyt, 656. On. peces, in
pieces, 3410. On-sunder, asunder,
5455 (cf. a-sunder, 1759). On
swowe, in a swoon, 87. On weie,
on their way, 1751.
On, adj. one. See 0.
One, adj. S. alone, 211, 511,
3156. Al him-selfone, 3316 ; him-
self one, 657 ; bi here-self one, 3101.
Him one, 17, 4112 ; hym one, f 792.
pei \>re one, 1415. Al-one, 659, 864;
allone but, 1532. God one, 4002.
On \>e one (by thee alone), 4575.
Cf. Alane in Jamieson.
Ones, adv. S. once, 195, 611, 637-
At ones (at once), 5412 ; at onis
(to-gether), 5180; (once for all),
3255.
On-honged, pp. S. hanged, 1564.
Onliche, adv. S. only, 3155, 3799.
Onwhar, adv. anywhere, some-
where, 1820 ; onwar, 2251.
Or, adv. S. before, 147, 1747,
2351, t 30, f 142, 1 310.
Or-trowed, pt. s. supposed, ima-
gined, f 738. See or-troweden in
Wycl. Gloss., and cf. Ouer-trowe.
Ost, n. F. host, 1127, 1197, 3767.
Ch.
Ofer, conj. or, 696, 966, 1498,
1823; (or else), 4067. Of>er or
(either or), 1212, 1822. Ch.
0]>er, adj. other ; hence, J>at o]?er
= the second, the next, 1199 ; pi.
o}>er (others), 5218. 0)>er-gate
(otherwise), 3761 ; and hence,
elliptically, o>er = otherwise, 2071,
2122.
Ouer-borde. overboard, 2823 ;
ouer-bord, 2778.
Ouer-gret, adj. over-great, very-
great, 1069. The MS. has ouer-
gart gret ost, probably by mistake.
"Ouer-gret is used by Chaucer,
Cant. T. 16116 (Chan. Yem.
Prol.)." M.
Ouer-macched, pp. over-matched,
1216.
Ouer-pase, v. to pass by, pass un-
noticed, 4113.
Ouer-ride, v. to ride over, harry,
4147, 4262. Ch.
Ouer-slide, v. to pass away with-
out effort to retain it, to slip away,
3519.
Ouer-trowe, n. S. mistrust, suspi-
cion, 1402. Cf. Or-trowed.
Our, adv. over. But our on titly
tumbel, except one (of us) soon
tumble over, 3388.
Our, poss. pron. our, 4223 ; pi.
oure, 3385.
Out, prep, out of, 1640 ; ou^t
(out), 3068 ; omt of (out of),
1204, 1691.
Out-wende, v. S. to go out, 4853.
Ou^t, n. S. anything, aught, 952 ;
out, 1823, 2090, 2971; adv.
ou3t (at all), 2395, 3244, 5219.
Out, pt. s. possessed, 2627 ; ou^t,
3229; aught, 1 14, 1 173, f237;
pt. pi. ou^ten (owed), 1080. As
auxil. vb. out, pt. s. ought, 520,
874, 1323 ; aught, f 547 ; 1 p. pi.
pr. ou2t, 3589 ; 2 p. pL pr. omt,
4129 ; pr. pi ou$t, 5221.
Ow, you, 106. See $ou.
Paide, pt. s. pleased, 4988 ; pp.
payed, 1313, f 1038. From Lat.
pacare. Ch.
Paie, n. F. pleasure, 193, 5427,
t 701 ; paye, 5492, 5524, 1 159.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
295
Paleis, n. F. palace, 2838 ;
paleys, 2845.
Pane, n. F. cloth, or fur, 5356.
" See Sir Tristrem, p. 37." M. See
also Pane in Wedgwood and Halli-
well.
Parades, Paradise, 443.
Paramours, n. F. mistress, lover,
1534 ; gen. pi. paramoures, lovers',
2987 ; for paramours, for love,
1758 ; of paramours, of love, 1412.
Parayled, pp. apparelled, 1990.
Park, n. a park, 2845. F. pare.
A.S. pearroc.
Partened, pt. pi. belonged, 1419.
Party, n. F. to hold party to =
to maintain the battle against,
3643 ; pi. parties, sides, 1146 ;
partyes, 1150.
Pas, n. F. course, 3915 ; a "pas-
sus," canto, 161 ; pase, pace,
4337.
Passed, pt. s. passed, went, 4112 ;
passad, 3068 ; pt. pi. passeden,
2166, 3938.
Patriarkes, n.pl. patriarchs, 5047.
Pauilons, n. pi. pavilions, tents,
1630 ; pauilounns, 1627.
Payenes, gen. sing, pagan's, 365.
Payj?e, or PaJ)]>e, n. path, 1674.
Pellure, n. F. costly fur, 53. " See
Roq. and Jamieson's examples,
which might be greatly augmented."
M. $P.H.A.iL?.
Peple, n. F. people, 1122;
puple, 499, 4139, 5061.
Perauenture, peradventure, 254.
Perced, pp. pierced, 1225.
Pere, n. F. peer, equal, 443, 709 ;
pi. pers, 3976. Ch.
Perelouste, sup. adj. F. most
perilous, 1191.
Perles, adj. F. peerless, 499, 516,
740, 933, &c.
Perrey, n. F. precious stones,
jewels, 53. Cf. P. PI. A. ii. 12,
and Ch.
Pert, adj. F. true, lit. evident,
4930. Lat. apertus.
Pertly, adv. F. openly, clearly,
plainly, 180, 2536 ; pertli, 2489 ;
pertely, 156, 684 ; pertily,
1325; pertili, 4384;-pertliche,
5044, pertely che, 53; perti-
lyche, 361; pertiliche, 96, 291.
Cf Apertli.
Pes, n. F. peace, 2951.
Peter, by saint Peter ! 681. The
line means "But, by saint Peter !
it was only his pillow," &c. Cf.
P. PI. A. vi. 28 ; Ch. House of
Fame, ii. 526; Morte Arth. (ed.
Perry), 2884.
Peyne, v. S. to punish, 2898,
3662; pt. pi. pinte, f238 ; pp.
peyned, in phr. J>at on croyce was
peyned, that was put to a painful
death on the cross, 350, 3127,
4151.
Piled, pp. F. robbed, plundered,
5123. Ch.
Pilus, n.pl. feathers, down, f 814.
"Poilfolet, the first down or soft
feathers of a young bird." Cot-
grave.
Pitous, adj. F. piteous, 643 ;
pytous, 1180; pitevows, 5488.
Pitousli, adv. F. piteously, 1168 ;
pitously, 933; pituosli, 1756.
Pi$,pp. S. pitched, 1627. Ch.
Piece, v. F. to please, 4729 ;
plese, 5435.
Pleie, v. to play, 678, 1020, 2736 ;
pt. s. pleide, 216, 1195 ; pt. pi.
pleide, 1477 ; pleyed, 1058.
Pleint,w. F. complaint, 1180. Ch.
Plenerli, adv. F. fully, 5435.
Plenteousliche, adv. F. plenteous-
ly, 180 ; pleiiteousli, 4970 ;
plentiuosly, 1122.
Pleyn, adv. F. full, 3158. Ch.
296
GLOSSABIAL INDEX.
Pleyned hem, pt. pi. complained,
1845.
Pli^t, n. S. plight, condition, 5373.
Pope, 1957. See the note.
Porayle, n. F. the poor, the lower
order of people, 5123. Ch.
Porsewed, pt. pi. pursued, 2196;
pp. porsewed, 2474.
Portingale, Portugal, 116.
Portreide, pp. pourtrayed, 445,
619.
Posterne, n. F. postern-gate, 1752,
3068 ; posterne-gate, 2166 ; pos-
terne-^ate, 2871.
Pouert, n. F. poverty, 5373. Ch.
Praide, pt. s. he prayed, 270;
prated, 3546 ; preiede, 1168 ;
preide, 643 ; pt. pi. preid, 1903 ;
imp. pi. preieth, 164 ; preijes, 5529.
Praire, n. prayer, 996.
Praisen, pr. pi. praise, 617.
Preeued, pp. proved, approved,
f604.
Prened, pp. pinned, f 420. See
Prein in Jamieson. A.S. preon,
Dan. preen, a bodkin. We still
use the phrase, "pinned to the
earth."
Prent, n. F. print, f 845.
Pres, n. F. press, throng, crowd,
1191, 1225, 1481, 3431; prese,
3848. Ch.
Presed, pt. s. pressed forward,
3424, 4959.
Prest, adj. F. ready, prepared,
1598, 1 6, f 165, f 422, f 595, &c.
Ch.
Prestly, adv. F. readily, quickly,
soon, 1146, 1232, f 171, t 368 ;
prestli, 2649 ; prestely, 291, 335,
996 ; presteli, 1237, 1717;
prestili, 3319, 3431 ; presteliche,
399 ; prestlich, f 792. [It occurs
more than 20 times.]
Prie, v. to pry, look, 5019; pt. s.
pried, 96.
Prike, v. S. to spur, ride fast,
2382 ;/tf. s. priked, 1191, 3319;
prikede, 1481, 3362 ; pt. pi. prike-
den, f 382.
Pris, adj. F. worthy, choice, rich,
noble, 161, 411, 2442, f306, t466 ;
pi. pris, f 6 ; prise, f 1038 ; price,
1630.
Prisely, adv. choicely, well, f733.
Prisoun, n. F. a prisoner, 1251 ;
pi. prisouns, 1290 ; prisons, 3458,
4215. P. PI.
Proddest, sup. adj. proudest, 2942.
Properly, adv. F. properly, truly,
652 ; propirli, 619 ; propirly,
Proueyed hire, pt. s. provided
for herself, procured, 3064.
Prouost, n. provost, 2265, 2270.
Pult, v. to put, 3093 ; pt. s. pult,
4593 ; pp. pult, 381, 4219, 4223,
4236, 4522, 5373. " In O.E. the
word put was frequently written
with an intrusive I, pult, analogous
to the / in falter, halt, jolt"
Wedgwood; who derives it from
F. bouter. In 1. 2951 we find Put.
Puluere, n. F. a pillow, 675, 681,
684 ; pulwere, 672.
Puple. See Peple.
Pure litel, very little, 3093.
Purli, adv. purely, wholly, 4219 ;
purliche, 4428 ; purlieu, f 1038.
Pursewend, pres. part. F. pur-
suant, suitable, 5028.
Purueaunce, n. F. provision, 1598,
1605.
Purueyed, pp. provided, 1605.
Quarrere,rc. F. quarry, 2232, 2319 ;
quarrer, 2281, 4692.
Quaf>,p. s. quoth, said, 251, 2028,
2168,f638; quod, 3753, f 682.
Queite, pt. s. whisked, darted,
moved swiftly, 4344. Sir F. Mad-
den suggested a derivation from the
A.S. cwehte, moved (which is, how-
ever, transitive), or that it might
GLOSS ARIAL INDEX.
297
mean crept, from the F. quatir,
explained by Roquefort to mean se
tapir, i. e. to squat. But it is
rather from the W. cliwido, to move
nimbly, and is familiar to us in
Lowland Scotch in the forms quhid
and whid. See quhid in Jamieson.
Queintyse, n. F. cunning, skill,
4220.
Quelle, v. S. to kill, 1246, 2123,
2773, 2811, &c. ; pr. s. quelles,
179; pt. s. quelled, 1109. Qf.
kyllen in 1. f 924.
Queme, v. S. to please, delight,
satisfy, 3404, f 227, t 682, 1 1181 ;
2 p. s. pr. quemest, f593; pp.
quemed, t 788. Ch.
Quemfull, adv. S. pleasing, giving
delight, 1 582.
Queynt, adj. F. quaint ; i. e. cun-
ning, skilful, 4136, 4254 j quinte,
1401. Ch.
Queyntli, adv. F. quaintly, i. e.
cunningly, 4644 ; queyntliche,
3233. Ch.
Quic, adj. S. alive, 1564 ; quik,
1212. Ch.
Quicliche, adv. S. quickly, soon,
908 ; quikliche, 2127.
Quinte. See Queynt.
Quite, v. F. to repay, requite, 325,
4726 ; pr. s. zubj. quite, 4713. Ch.
Quitly, adv. freely, entirely, 2341.
"Used by Ch. Cant. T. 1794
(Knightes T. 934)." M.
Quod. See Qua)).
Eadde. See Rede, v.
Raddely, Radely, Eafli. See
Redeli.
Rau^t, pt. s. S. reached, 1193,
4424 ; raught, f 1174 ; pp. raujt,
4823.
Railled,^. striped, decked, 1618.
See Rail in Wedgwood, Riole in
Cotgrave, and cf. Norman Railer,
to score, draw lines, streak.
Rapli, adv. very quickly, hastily,
3179. Du. rap, nimble. P. PI.
A. v. 176.
Real, adv. F. royal, splendid, 866,
1310, 1405, 1597, 1601; riall,
f!78, |267; sup. realest, 3944.
Ch.
Realy, adv. F. royally, 352, 1260,
1391, 1426, 1618 ; reali, 5460;
rialiche, 4859; comp. realiere,
4852. Ch.
Realte, n. F. royalty, splendour,
5006 ; reaute, 1926, 1959 ; re-
aulte, 5331, 5345 ; riaulte, 5057.
Reaume, n. F. realm, 1310, 1964,
3920, 4102.
Reching, n. explanation, f 599.
A.S. recan, to say, explain.
Recuuer, n. F. to recover, i. e. to
gain, 2801; pt. s. intr. recuuered
(recovered), 3874.
Recuuerere, n. F. recovery, revival,
439.
Reddour, n. F. violence, injury,
2953. [The words reddour =
violence (O.F. roideur), and reddour
= fear (Suio - Goth, reedde), are
often mistaken for each other.]
Rede, adj. ready, 1963.
Rede, n. S. advice, counsel, 803,
1458, 1692, 5115, f 356. What is
me to rede, what is advisable for me,
903 ; shortened into what fo rede,
3885 ; take hire to rede, considered
as advisable for herself, 133. Cf.
A.S. to rcBde, s.v. reed in Bosworth.
Rede, v. S. to advise, counsel,
1356 ; 1 p. pr. pi. rede, 1112; pt. s.
radde, 1301 ; (= read), 4433 ; pr.
s. subj. rede, 2262. Too rede, to
read, to explain, f 856. Ch.
Redeles, adj. S. without counsel,
at a loss what to do, f 394 ;
redles, 2915.
Redeli, adv. S. readily, quickly,
soon, 461, 1824, 1828, 2516;-
redeliche, 439, 5467 ; redili,
3563 ; rediliche, 1226 ; redli,
298
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
2143, 2488; redly, 866, 1153;
reddely, 1367 ; radely, 41 5
raddely, 810. [It occurs nearly 30
times. In 1. 3179 Sir F. Madden
explains rafyli by quickly, but we
should read rapli, as in the MS.]
Regal, n. F. regality, 282.
Reioische, v. F. to enjoy, 4102.
Cf. Reioshe in Coleridge's Gloss.
Index.
Reken,<y. S. to reckon, tell, 1597,
3179 ; rekene, 336, 1934, 1958.
Ch.
Kemued, pt. s. intr. removed,
went, 1325 ; remewed, 5106, 5317;
pt. pi remewed, 1297. Ch.
Renkes. See Rink.
Eenne, v. S. to run, 219, 2268,
3179. Ch.
Reproue, n. F. reproof, 652.
Res, n. S. rush, of emotion, conflict
of mind, 439 ; attack, onset, f 389;
violence, f H89. A.S. rds, rush,
onset, violence. Ch.
Resset, n. F. a place of shelter or
refuge, 2801. See facet in Cole-
ridge's Gloss. Index.
Restored, pp. stored, 2846.
Rette, v. to impute, ascribe, 461.
"Rectyn, or rettyn, or wytyn.
'Imputo, reputo, ascribo" Prom.
Parv. Used by Ch. O.N. retta.
Reue, v. S. to rob, bereave, 1824,
4392; reued, 2755. Ch.
Reueles, n. pi. F. revels, 1953.
Reuested, >p. dressed, 1959,5047.
Reuliche, adv. ruefully, pitiably,
86.
Reuowres, n. pi. S. robbers, 5478.
Reube, n. S. ruth, pity, 2115,
3270.
Reward, n. F. regard, 3339.
Rewes me, pr. s. grieves me, 562;
pt. s. rewed him, grieved him, 4987-
Ch.
Rialiche. See Reali.
Riaulte. See Realte.
Riche, v. F. to enrich, or more
probably, to be rich, 3014.
Riche, n. S. a kingdom, f 58.
Richesse, n % F. riches, 1935,
3014, 5057. [It is in the sing,
number.] Ch.
Richlier, adv. more richly, 1934.
Ridende, pres. part. 1954.
Rif, Rifliche. See Riuedli.
Rigge, n. S. back, 1 1174. Ch.
Rink, n. S. a man, hero, warrior,
1193, 1935, 3563, fl05, f480;
rynk, 1472 ; ring, 5213;
ryng, f H45 ; pi, rmkes, 1213,
1226, 1 341, f 354 ; renkes, 1153.
Rise, n. Reggio, in Calabria, 2717.
"See Panizzi's Life of Bojardo,
vol. ii. p. Ixxxi. n. The same,
change seems to have taken place
in regard to Riez in Provence, as
remarked by Mr Nicol, to whom I
am indebted for a reference to
Martiniere's Dictionary, sub. v.
Riez." M.
Rist, n. S. rising ; sonne rist =
rising of the sun, f 791 ; hence, the
East, f 855.
Rit, adv. right, 4268 ; ri3t, 273.
Riue, adj. S. rife, abundant, full,
4415, 5414, t 726; ryfe, f268.
Riuedli, adv. abundantly, widely,
2953, 3840 ; riuedliche, 2115 ;
rifliche, 1472; rif, 1953.
Ri3t, adv. See Rit.
Ri3tes, n. pi rights, 3218. At
here mttes, exactly, rightly, suit-
ably, 4906 ; at alle i^tes, 4255 ;
to J>e ri3tes, 5006, 5026; to
}>e ri^ttes, 53 ; to ^tes, 1957 ;
tomttes, 1605, 1632; too rightes,
f 660, f 846, f 980 ; to rightus,
f 1222. Anon rbtes, straightway,
immediately, 1306; anon ri^ttes,
235. Vp-ri^ttes (upright), 1789 ;
doun-mtes, 1165, Rijtes gates,
by the right way, 5322. [In At
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
299
all fi^tes, to rtyes, &c., I suppose
rtyes to be the pi. of ntf, sb. ; in
anon rtyes, vp-ri^ttes, doun-ri^tes, it
is the gen. case sing, used adver-
bially; cf. rihtes, adv. in La^amon.
In ri^tes gates, I think ri^tes is the
gen. sing, of ri$t, adj. agreeing
with gates, gen. of gate ; the whole
expression being used adverbially.]
Ei^tleche, v. S. to govern, 282,
1310. A.S. rihtlacan.
Ei^tly, adv. directly, straightway,
232. Cf. Kit.
Eoche, n. F. rock, 2367. Ch.
Eode, n. S. rood, cross, 1669,
1802, 2083, 2360. Ch.
Eode, n. complexion, f 178. O.N.
rodi. Cf. A.S. rudu, redness.
Eomed, pt. s. roamed, 1608; pt.
pi. romden, 810. Ch.
Eote, n. S. root, 638. Ch.
Eoted, pp. rotted, 4124.
Eoute, v. F. to trouble, harass,
5478.
Eoute, n. F. a rout, company,
troop, 1213, 1616, 1942, 3354;
ro^te, 4276 ; rowte, 397. Ch.
Eoum, n. a room, i. e. a space,
while, f 1030.
Eou^t hem, it recked them, i. e.
they cared, 3353 ; pi. rought
(recked), f 383.-
Eowe, adj. S. rough, 4778. Ch.
Budli, adv. rudely, 3270.
Sad, adj. firm, steadfast, in various
senses ; as, discreet, steady, sober,
228 ; firm, massive, 1072 ; firm,
sure, 1463 ; severe, grievous,
2775 ; sadde, firm, sure, 1371 ;
sup. saddest, chiefest, 677 ; in
which last instance it is very nearly
equivalent to most joyous ; cf. 1.
3675. "In the sense of heavy,
hard, or solid, it is used in the Wyc-
liffite Bible, in the Prompt. Parv.
(A.D. 1440), and in Stanbridge's
Vocab. (A.D. 1513). In the North,
this signification is not yet obso-
lete ; see Brockett, and Hunter."
M, Cf. Welsh, sad, firm, steady,
discreet. Ch.
Sadly, adv. firmly, 1014 ; serious-
ly, 488, 557; steadfastly, 469,
524; earnestly, 418, 1165, 2388;
sadli, fixedly, 762 ; discreetly,
969 ; earnestly, 2524 ; seriously,
4146, 4170; purposely, 2750;
heavily, 539 ; saddeli, closely,
2281, 2592 ; saddely, quietly, in
a low tone, 311 ; sup. saddest, most
earnestly, 3675 ; cf. 1. 677. Ch.
Saf. See Sauf.
Sai, Saie. See Se.
Saile, v. to sail, 2673 ; sayle,
2721 ; pt. pi. saileden, 2763.
Sake, n. S. cause ; hence, for J>at
sake = on that account, 2019. A.S.
sacu, a dispute, suit at law, cause.
Saluede, pt. s. saluted, 4017.
Samen, adv. S. together, 433,
909, 1288, 1907, 2267, 2445, &c. ;
same, 4318, 4899 ; samme,
t 342. It occurs 19 times. The
expressions samen to-yeder (909),
and samen y-fere (2267) are pleon-
astic. It is found in Spenser.
Samli, adv. together, 1835 ; cf. 11.
433, 909. A.S. samodlice.
Sarre, comp. adv. more sorely,
2025, 3441.
Sauf, adv. F. safe, sound, whole,
868, 1329, 2816, 4634 ; saf,
1332. Sauf and sound, 868, 2816.
See Fouche.
Saufly, adv. safely, 3051 ; -
saufli, 2688 ; saufliche, 256 ;
safliche, 258. Ch.
Saules, n. pi. souls, 3705.
Saundbruel ; the name of a horse,
3585. " So named from its colour."
M.
Sauor, n. F. scent, perfume, 638,
818; sawoiir, 849.
Sau3t, n. F. assault, 2651 ;
300
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
saute, t 301 j pi. samtes, 2682;
sautes, 2857. Ch.
Sawe, n. S. saying, word, 1112,
1305, 1483, f 757 ; pi. sawes,
1439.
Say. See Se.
Sayle. See Saile.
Sehal, pr. s. shall, 2938, 2945,
&c. ; 1 p. pi. pr. schul, 5422 ; 2 p.
pl.pr. schul, 5162; schulle, 3690;
clml, 3339 ; pr. pi. schul, 964,
2943, 2952 ; schulle (ought), 3807 ;
2 p. s. pt. schuldest, 5194 ; pt. s.
schold, 2969, 2971 ; chold, 2014 ;
2 p. pi. pt. sehuld, 3685 ; pt. pi.
schuld, 3810. See next word.
Schaltow, shalt thou, 340, 5132 ;
schalstow, 325.
Schamful, adj. S. harmful, 1855.
Schamly, adj. S. shameful, 556.
Schap, n. S. shape, 2885.
Schape, v. F. to escape, 2749 ;
pt. pi. schaped, 2752 ; pp. schaped,
460, 731, 1282 ; schapit, 2151.
Schapen, pp. shapen, shaped,
126, 225, 1447 ; schape, 3214.
Scharplyche, adv. S. sharply, 178.
Schabe, n. S. scathe, harm, dis-
grace, 3008, 3084, 4051.
Schajjeles, adv. S. scatheless,
without injury, 1855 ; sca^eles,
2749.
Schajjli, adv. harmfully, hardly,
2794. [But it may be a mistake
for scha}>elesli.~\
Schawes, n. pi. groves, 178. Ch.
Schawes, n. pi. men, f 484. The
sing, shawe, f 766, should rather be
spelt schawe. A.S. scealc, a servant,
man.
Sche, pron. she, 836, 837, &c. ;
hue, f34, |35, f36; che,
462, 641. A.S. heo.
Scheche, v. S. to seek, 2068.
Scheld, n. S. shield, 3214;
schel, 3216.
Schenchip, n. S. shame, dishonour,
556, 1803. Ch.
Schende, v. S. to shame, dis-
honour, disgrace, 556, f 995 ;
schend, f 566 ; pp. schent (de-
stroyed, dead), 2798, f 1028. Ch.
Schene, adj. S. fair, beautiful,
bright, 3214, 3296 ; scheene,
f 202. Used as sb. t lady being
understood, 733, 3299. Ch.
Scheenely, adv. S. brightly, |631.
Schepe, n. S. ship, 5088 ;
schipe, 5212 ; schip, 2729 ; pi.
schippes, 2728.
Schete, v. S. to shoot, 2399 ;
schote, 178 ; pt. s. shet (read
schet), f 277".
Schette, v. S. to shut, fasten,
3649 ; pt. pi. schetten, 3267. Of.
Bi-schet, 2014.
Scheuered, pp. shivered, 3411.
Schilde, 3 p. s. imp. shield, 1803.
Schille, adj. shrill, 213 ; adv.
(shrilly), 37, 3831. Du. schel.
Schinnes, n. pi. skins, 2420.
Schipmen, n. pi. sailors, 2768;
chipmen, 2811, 2818.
Schire, adj. clean, f 1008. See
Sheer in Wedgwood.
Schoche, v. F. to suspect, 1398.
souche, 1983 ; pt. s. scouched,
1413 ; souched, 1059. 0. F.
souche, souci. Roq.
Schon, n. pi. shoon, shoes, 14.
Schonde, n. S. shame, dishonour,
555.
Schore, n. S. a score ; foure
schore, 1102, 2540 ; ten schore,
3909.
Schorned, pp. scorned, 554.
Schortely, adv. shortly, 1132;
chortly, 2035.
Schortet, pp. shortened, 1549.
Schote. See Schete.
Schour, n. S. shower ; scharp
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
301
scliour = shower of darts or blows,
4514; cf. 1. 2756. Cf. fiana
scuras, showers of arrows, in the
A.S. fragment of Judith.
Schoute[s], n. pi. flat-bottomed
boats of light draught, f 484. See
Shout in Halliwell. l)u. schuit.
Schrewe, n. a wicked person,
4643 ; pi. shrews, f 80. See Shrew
in Wedgwood. On.
Schrewedest, sup. adj. most
wicked, 4643. See Wycl. Gloss.
Schuft, pt. s. either shifted, from
A.S. scyftan, or shoved, from A.S.
scufan, 3290. See Shift in Wedg-
wood.
Schuft, pp. well-shaped, t 186.
A.S. sceaft, adj., formed, made.
Schul. See Schal.
Sclaunder,w.F. slander, 4045. Ch.
Se, v. S. to see, 765 ; sen,
1283, 3203 ; sene, 759, 3834,
4487 ;Ip.8. pt. sai, 2160 ; 2 p. s.
pt. sei, 276 ; pt. s. sei, 2117 ; sey,
4901 ; seu, 34, 590, 871, &c.; say,
228, 1585 ; seie, 1505 ; 86*36, 402,
2183; seye, 26; lp.pl.pt. seup,
3501 ; pt. pi. sei^en, 1063 ; seien,
4503; se3en, 2760; saie, 2232;
pp. seie, 279, 2344, 2886; seien,
5003; seisen, 1792; seyn, 5058;
imp. pi. sej, 1715.
Seccleled, pt. s. sickened, 575.
A.S. saclian.
Sece, v. to cease, 2124 ; pp. seced,
2114; 1 p. pi. imp. sece, 2707 ; pt.
pi. sesed, 2190. See Sese.
Seche, v. S. to seek, 223, 2203 ;
pr. s. seche]}, 4121, 5520; pres.pt.
sechande, 2603. See Sou;t.
Sechyng, n. S. a seeking, search-
ing, 2190.
Sede, Seide, &c. See Seie.
Seemeli, Seemlich. See Semli.
Seg, n. S. a man, 226, 518, 772,
839, &c. ; segge, f 232 ; pi.
segges, 1341, 2223, 1 286 ; seges,
1063. P. PI.
Seged, pp. F. "besieged, 3805.
Segging, n. S. a saying, a repeti- *
tion of words of incantation, f 531.
Seie, t?.S. to say, 1279 ; sei}, 60;
seye, 1281 ; segge, f 584, f 1033 ;
sigge, f 8 ; %p. s.pr. seistow, 2256 ;
pt. s. seide, 70, 3191 ; seyde, 954 ;
sede, 943 ; seyede, 2274 ; 2 p. s.
pt. seidestow (= seidest >ow), 267;
imp. pi. seie, 4173 ; seij>, 4170 ;
sei^th, 593.
Seile, n. S. 2731 ; where be seile
= sailing, voyage ; we find sayle =
a sail, 568.
Sei^t, of his = out of his sight,
420. [Probably miswritten for
sijt.] See Si^t.
Sek, adj. S. sick, 557, 590, 1489.
Sekly, adj. S. sick, 1505. [We
still use sickly as an adj.~]
Seknes, n. S. sickness, 842 ;
sekenes, 841 ; seknesse, 593.
Selcoub, adj. S. strange, wonder-
ful, admirable, 1621, 2708 ; sel-
cou^e, 658, 700, 2329 ; selco^e,
2869, 2989 ; selkouthe, t 130.
Used as gb., thing being understood,
selcou]>, 2291, 2579 ; selcoufo 700,
3488.
Selcoubli, adv. S. strangely,
wonderfully, 2650, 4924, 5064 ;
selcou^eli, 3263 ; selkou^ely,
3330
Sell, n. F. a seal, f 834, t 853.
Sell, n. F. a cell, f 525. Ch.
Selue, S. self, same, very, 1149,
1300, &c. ; self, 1839 ; pi. selue,
727, 889, &c. Selue wise, very
way, same way, 462, 490, 1438.
pat selue, the very same, 3502. pe
selue duk, the duke himself, 1368.
What I suppose J>e selue, what if I
suppose that very thing, 549.
Seluer, n. S. silver, 2554.
Semblant, n. F. outward sem-
blance, appearance, show, 228, 841,
3502, 4512.
Sembul, v. F. to assemble, gather,
302
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
3555 ; pp. 2147, 3319. In 1. 3811,
we have pt. pi. sembled, which pro-
bably means encountered ; cf. 1.
3815. Semblyng = encountering
occurs in Lancelot of the Laik,
2951.
Semes, me = it seems to me,
620 ; pi. me semen, seem to me,
1686 ; pt. pi. semde, 2880.
Semes, n. pi. S. horse-loads,
2554. " A sack of eight bushels
is now called a seam t which was a
horse-load hence generally a load,
a burden" Bosworth, in v. seam.
Cf. G. saum, a burden. F. sommier,
a sumpter or pack-horse, &c. [Sir
F. Madden suggests that the word
(which is somewhat indistinct)
may, however, be selues^\
Semli, adj. S. seemly, comely,
fair, 829, 1882 ; semly, 298,
765, 837, 849; semliche, 49,
1454, 2232; semlyche, 568;
seemelich, f 322 ; seemeli, f 232.
fat semly = that seemly person or
lady, 732, 853, 871, &c. Sup.
semlyest, 518, 551.
Semly, adv. in a seemly manner,
courteously, 1432 ; seemlich,
becomingly, f 189.
Sendeth, imp. pi. send ye, 2068.
Sene, 3035. This can hardly
mean seen, and I have no doubt
that it is simply miswritten for
sone = soon, which ends 1. 3037
below. It is an instance of the
common confusion between e and
o, like sweto for swete in 1. 818,
Sent, n. assent, agreement ; in
the phr. at o sent == with one
assent, 3017, 5253 ; at sent = in
agreement, well aware, 1983.
Halliwell quotes
" Many armys were tynt,
That were never at the sent
To come to that tournament."
MS. Lincoln, A. i. 17. f. 134.
Sere, put for Sire, sir, 3570. See
Sire
Serliche, 2149, j adv. explained
Serreli, 3316, j by Sir F. Mad- j
den to mean "surely." But I
would suggest different explana-
tions in both places, and I take
them to be distinct words : (1) ser-
liche, closely ; cf. " Serre, to join
closely" (Halliwell), from F.
serrer ; also " Sarreliche, closely"
(Halliwell). (2) serreli, lordly, in a
sir-like manner, as explained by
Wedgwood, s. v. Surly : cf. " Sik'e
sirly shepherds lian we none,"
Spenser, Sheph. Cal. July, 1. 203,
where the "Glosse" has " Surly \
stately and prowde."
Sertes, adv. F. certainly, 268,
280, 543, 899, &c.
Seined, pp. deserved, 4352.
Semes, n. F. service, 3729.
Sese, v. to cease, 1516; sece,
2124 ; pt. pi. sesed, 2190 ; pp.
sesed, 648; seced, 2114; 1 p. pi.
imp. sece, 2707.
Sese, v. to seize, f 135 ; pr. pi.
1 299 ; pt. s. sesed, 1236 ; pt. pi.
seseden, |234. See notes to 11.
j-135, f299. In 1. 5391, *<<? is-
explained by Sir F. Madden to
mean to take, attain; it is rather
the regular law term, to seize a
person of a thing, i. e. to put him
into legal possession of it, Cf. Ch.
Trail, and Ores. (Aldine ed.), bk.
iii. st. 57.
Se)>J?e, (1) adv. S. since, after-
wards, then, 433, 902, 2047;
sej>]?en, 104, 206, 420; sej>en,
1 370, 3672 ; si|>J>e, 3050 ; si|>J>en,
f 308 ; sithen, f 624 ; sithe,
f 45 ; also in the sense ago, 1647,
4210 ; sejtye a gret while = since
a great while, 1991; (2) conj. since,
seeing that, after that, 329, 454,
456,516, 4207; se)>, 973.
Set, pt. s. dealt (a blow), 2775;
sette (set), 2459 ; pt. pi. setten,
appointed, 1462.
Sete, 1 p. s. pt. did sit, sat, 1622.
[It implies that the reciter of the-
story did not stand, but sat.] See-
Sittus.
GLOS8ARIAL INDEX.
303
/?. S. settled, sunk, 2452 ;
setteled, settled, composed, 4562.
Seue-ni^t, n. seven-night, a week,
766 ; seueni^t, 573.
Seurte, n. F. surety, 1463. Ch.
Seute, n. F. suit, case, 1080, 1250.
Seute, n. F. pursuit, chase, 2392,
2615.
Sewe, v. F. to follow, pursue,
2821; sew, 2751; seuwe, 581;
pr. s. sewes, 1376 ; sewej), 4897 ;
pt. s. sewede, 3354; sewed, 418;
sued, f 957 ; pt. pi. seweden, 2193,
2766 ; sewede, 204 ; sewed, 2190,
2388, 3506 ; pp. sewed, 1773 ; imp.
pi. sewes, 1116. Ch.
Sexti, num. sixty, 1087.
Sigge, v. to say, f 8. See Seie.
Signifiaunce, n. F. significance,
2958. Ch.
Sikamour, n. a sycamore, 829.
Siken, v. S. to sigh, f 395 ; sike,
691, 780 ; 1 p. s. pr. sike, 433 ;
si}h, 909 ; pt. s. siked, 1487, 1641,
4069 ; sijt, 2971; 0m. sikande,
5448; sikand, 539, 662 ; sikende,
894 ; sikinde, 490 ; sikimr, 5189,
5209. Ch.
Siker, adj. S. secure, sure, 2361,
4366, 4657; sup. sikerest, surest,
strongest, f 334. Ch.
Sikered, pp. secured, assured,
1463.
Siking, n. S. a sighing, lament,
5451 ; sikyng, 601 ;pl. sikingges,
566.
Simple, adj. F. of low degree,
714.
Sin, conj. since, f 103.
Sinifieth, pr. s. signifieth, f 853.
Of. Signifiaunce.
Sire, n. F. sir, 326, 1250 ; sir,
1095 ; sere, 3570 ; pi. sires, 2248.
SiJ>e, n. S. only in pi. 780, 1755 ;
Oousand) 1696, 5154 ; (six) 2098;
also in form styes, 103, 1038,
1265, 2470, 5200. Ch. [The form
si}>es = A.S. styas ; si)?e = A.S.
si^on or styum, forms which often
follow numerals^
Sittus, pr. s. sits, 446-; sittes,
620; \p. s.pt. sete, 1622.
Si}t, n. S. sight, 933, 1687, &c.
Slates, n. pi. S. 924. "Sights,
used for the singular." M. But
may it not mean sighs, which suits
the context better, and requires no
forcing ? Cf. Du. zucht, a sigh ;
A.S. siccet. See sihten in Strat-
mann.
Skil, n. S. reason, 1680, 4098;
skille, 336. Ch.
Skoumnt, pp. F. discomfited, de-
feated, f 371 ; skoumfyt (mis-
written skoumkyt), f 86.
Slake, v. (1) trans, to slacken,
relax, assuage, abate, 728, 778,
788, 1521 ; pt. s. slaked on = fell
relaxingly upon, f 779 ; pp. slaked,
1507, 4796 ; (2) intr. pr. s. slakes,
becomes less, 924; pt. s. slaked,
died out, faded away, f 714. Icel.
slokva, to extinguish, O.N. slokna,
to die out. Suio-Goth. sldcka (v.
Hire) ; Sw. slakna, to become
slack, A.S. slacian. Ch.
Sle, v. S. to slay, 2797 ; pt. s.
slow, 1196 ; slouj, 3890 ; pt. pi.
slowen, 1275 ; slowe, 1165, 3459 ;
pp. slawe, 1779, 3421, 3435; sleie,
379. Ch.
Slei3)?e, n. S. sleight, 2151.
Slepend, pres. pt. sleeping, 2291 ;
pt. s. slept, 656 -,pt. pi. slepten,
Sluli, adv. slily, secretly, in-
sensibly, 792 ; sli^liche, 1065 ;
sliliche, 1413 ; sleiliche, 637.
Ch.
Slod, pt. s. S. slid, slipped, 792.
Smyl&nd, pres. part, smiling, 991.
So, adv. S. so ; hence, wat so =
whatsoever, 607 ; what so = what-
soever, 621 ; who-so = whosoever,
f 87, See Ho. So as = in like
manner as, 338.
304
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Soberliche, adv. soberly, i. e.
seriously, prudently, 237 ; so-
burli, 991. Ch.
Socoures, imp. pi. succour ye,
4349.
Sode,pp. S. sodden, 1849.
Softili, adv. softly, gently, 632,
677.
Soget, n. F. subject, 473 \ pi.
sogettes, 463. Ch.
Solas, n. F. solace, comfort, en-
joyment, 677, 1550. Ch.
Solas, v. F. to solace, delight,
1621.
Solempne, adj. F. lit. solemn ;
suitable to a great occasion, 1599 ;
grand, famous, 1454. See Solempne
in Roq.
Solempte, n. F. solemnity, solem-
nization of marriage, 1462.
Son. See Sowne.
Sond, n. S. lit. that which is
sent, just as zjincl is that which is
found ; hence (1) a messenger,
1872 ; pi. sondes, 1078, 1308,
1594, 5271, t 291 ; (2) a message,
5195, 5199 ; (3) a God's-send, a
gift, that which is sent us by God's
grace, 4561 ; sonde, 64, f 973 ;
and hence we may explain the
difficult phrase " seemely to sonde"
in f 175 as meaning "a comely
creature for a man to acquire ; " cf.
1. 64 of the Werwolf.
Sonken, pp. sunk, 4111 j
sounk, f 1092.
Soothelich. See Sofli.
Sor, n. S. sorrow, 894 ; sore,
891 ; pi. sores, 598 ; soris, 639.
Cf. sorwe in 1. 3543.
Sore, adv. S. sorely, 593 ; comp.
sorer, 634.
Sorful, adj. S. sorrowful, 3541.
Sori, adj. worthless, 3509 ; pain-
ful, 3696.
Sorly, adv. 463. "Surely (?) ;
see Serlicfe." M. Probably mis-
written for serly, as Sir F. Madden
suggests, in which case I would
explain it by straightly, strictly,
closely ; see note on Serliche. The
French has, "sont il a lui oil por
voir, et font du tot a son voloir."
Sorwfuliche, adv. sorrowfully,
2971.
SoJ>e, n. S. truth, 108, 116, 238,
772, &c. Ch.
So]?, adj. S. true, 2799; soj>ly
so}), verily true, true indeed, 700.
Sojdi, ode. truly, verily, 949,
1194; so]?ly, 76, 379, 473;
soHiche, 1452; soothelich, f973.
Sotilest, sup. adj. most subtle,
most secret, 2603.
Sotiliche, adv. subtly, 3117, 4783.
Ch.
Souche, v. to suspect, 1983 ; pi.
s. souched, 1059, 1065. See
Schoche.
Soudiour, n. Low Lat. soldier,
3954 ; sowdiour, 3951. Ch.
Souerayn, n. F. chief, leader,
4938 \gen. sing. souerayne,provost's,
4695. "The title is still retained
in some towns in Ireland." M.
Soueraynest, sup. adj. most
sovereign, chiefest, above all others,
524, 4932 ; cf. most souereyn, 518.
Soueraynli, adv. above all, chiefly,
supremely, 1062.
Souked, pt. s. sucked, 2702. Ch.
Soupe, v. F. to sup, 3524. Ch.
, pt. s. of to seche, but used
in a peculiar manner ; thus, sou^t
for]) = found out his way onward,
46/7 ; sou3t out = ventured out,
went out, 4681 ; sought to = made
for, reached, f 95 ; pi. sou^t to =
reached, 2717 ; soute on-sunder =
parted, 5455 ; soi^ten on gate =
went on their wav, 5214. Cf.
Seche.
Sowdiour. See Soudiour.
Sowne, n. F. sound, 210 ; son,
39. [It is vulgar to say gownd for
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
305
but custom has sanctioned
"sound for so-un. Ch. has soun, but
sownde is the form in the Prompt.
Parv. A. D. 1440.]
Spakly, adv. wisely, knowingly,
excellently, well, 19 ; but more
generally it is an expletive, meaning
quickly, soon, as in 966 ; spakh,
3357, 3631; spacly, 3399;-
spacli, 3389, 3392, 3529, 4499,
4887, 5212. " The root is, appar-
ently, to be sought in the Su-Goth.
spak, Icel. spakr, sapiens. See Ihre."
M. The same root probably is
that of Sc. spae, and of 0. H. Ger.
spahi, prudent ; Dan. spaae, to pre-
dict; and probably also of Ger.
spahen, Eng. spy, &c. The word
occurs in the form spakely in Morte
Arthur, ed. Perry, 1. 2063.
Spaynols, n. pi. Spaniards, 3631,
3730, 3770, 5168, 5212; spay-
noles, 3399-; spaynolus, 3529 ;
spaynolnes, 3357.
Spede, v. (in out-spede or out
spede) to succeed, 548 ; pp. spedde,
1293, 1715 ; (2) trans, to help,
succour, in^. s. spedde, 4922.
Spedeliche, adv. speedily, 19 ;
- spedly, 5468, f 296.
Spei3ed, pt. pi. spied, saw, 3399.
Of. A-spie.
Speldes, n. pi. S. splinters, 3392,
3603, 3855. Cf. E. spell or spill,
originally a chip of wood for light-
ing a candle. See Spall, Spelk,
Spell in Wedgwood. "In the
Prompt. Parv. we have Spalle, or
chyppe. Quisquilia, assula. The
latter term is still used in the
North ; v. Brockett." M. See
also Spawl, Speall, Speel, Spelder,
Spelk, Spelt, in Halliwell, all mean-
ing a chip ; and cf. G. spalten, to
split.
Spenen, v. S. to spend, f 362 ;
pp- spended, distributed, 4324.
Spille, v. trans, to destroy, con-
found, overthrow, 966, 1891, 3009,
3437, 4100, 4395 ; pp. spilt, 3764;
(2) ititrans. to die, 1 p. s. pr. spille,
1535. Ch.
Spire, v. S. to inquire, seek,
4594. Sc. speir.
Spors, n.pl. spurs, 1482. Ch.
Spret, n. S. a boatman's pole,
2754 ; sprite, a pole, f 1097.
See Spret in Halliwell. " It is still
preserved in the term bow-spnV."
M. A JtpriV-sail has its name
from the pole that traverses it
diagonally.
Stabled, pp. established, f 514.
Stalkeden, pt. pi. S. walked
cautiously, one step at a time,
2728. "Dan. stalke, to go with
high uplifted feet, with long
steps ; " Wedgwood. Ch.
Stalworjj, adj. S. strong, stout,
1950.
Standes, imp. pi. stand ye, 2263 ;
pt. pi. stoden, 2728.
Stede, n. S. place, stead, 3521,
f 303, f 769. Ch.
Stef, adj. S. stiff, strong, 2894,
3600, 3604 ; styf = deep, pro-
found, 4056 ; stif, 3535.
Stelen, adj. of steel, 3535, 3859 ;
stel, f416.
Stepchilderen, n. pi. 131.
Stepmoder, n. stepmother, 2640 ;
pi. stepmoderes, 130, 4099.
Sterne, adj. S. stern, fierce, brave,
159, 2981, 3243 ; sturne, 3409,
3780 ; sup. sturaest, 3226.
Stemely, adv. S. sternly, fiercely,
bravely, boldly, 1158 ; sternli,
2894, 3240 ; sturnli, 3907. Ch.
Stert, v. S. to start off, gallop,
3600 ; 1 p. s. pt. sterte, I started
off, I ran, 2277 ; pt. s. stert vp,
started up, 4355 ; stirte vp, 3275.
Ch.
Sterue, v. S. to die, f 445 ; pp.
storue, died, 1515. Ch.
Stif. See Stef.
Stifly, adv. S. earnestly, eagerly,
20
306
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
736, 880 ; stifli,
L657; stiffuly, 219.
Stiked,^. pierced, 3818.
Stint, n. S. stop, delay, 2350,
5379.
Stint, v. S. to stop, dwell, cease,
pause, leave off, 159, 1612, 1961,
5232; stinte, 1042; stynt,
2781 ; in transitive sense, to make
to leave off. 4056 ; pt. s. stint, 61,
f 951 ; stinte, 1574 ; pt.pl. stinten,
f 445 ; stint, f 386 ; imp. s. stint,
1652 ; imp. pi. stintes, 1206 ;
stinteh 1113. "It is inserted in
the Prompt. Parv. ' Styntyn'.
Pauso, desisto, subsisto.' " M. Ch.
Stirte vp. See Stert.
StiJ?, adj. S. strong, f 91.
Stiued, pp. baked hard, 3033.
Lit. 'stiffened.' " Stijven, als,
doecken stijven, to Stiffe linnen;"
Hexham.
Stiward, n. S. a steward, 3378,
4211 ; gen. sing, stiwardes, 3446.
Ch.
Stty,pp. S. set, fixed, 4425.
Sti^tli, v. S. to dispose, arrange,
manage, 3841, 5379 ; stijtli to-
gadere = arrange matters between
them, 3281 ; pt. s. stifled, 1199 ;
(disposed of), 2899. Cf. P. PL
Crede, 315.
Stightlich, adv. disposedly, in
right order, in their proper place,
t293.
Stoden, pt. pi. stood, waited,
2728. Cf. Standes.
Stonen, adj. of stone, 1072.
Store, n. F. story, 4806.
Storue. See Sterne.
Stoteye, n. cunning, stratagem,
4985. Lat. astutia, O.F. astuce.
Stounde, n. S. a space of time, a
while, 159, 1360, 1574, 1657, 2263,
f630; bi a stounde, for a short
while, 1832; a stouude while, a
moment, f 951. Ger. stunde. Ch.
Stoundemele, adv. = A.S. stund-
mgplum, by little times, by degrees,
736. Cf. stownd-meel in Wycl.
Gloss., and see Ch.
Stour, n. F. battle, conflict, 3536,
3907 ; stoure, 4214 ; sthoure,
3530. O.F. estour ; cf. Icel. styrr,
a battle. Ch.
Stoutliche, adv. stoutly, 1950.
Strane, pr. pi. strain, f 349. See
the note,
Strawed, pp. strewn, 1617.
Strecche, 0..S. to stretch, 219;
pt. s. streyt, 2957 ; street him =
went, 3279 ; #p. strayed, 3617;
imp. pi. strecches, 1113i
Streijt, adv. straight, 3328 ;
streuet (probably miswritten for
stre^te), 3592. Ch.
Strek into a studie = fell into
deep thought, 2981, 4038. A.S.
strican, to pass on. Cf. G. streicken,
to strike, to fly, &c. It is even
applied to the flowing onward of a
stream "Ase strem that striketh
stille : " Lyric Poetry ; ed. T.
Wright. Percy Soc. 1842, p. 44.
Striked, pp. streaked, strewn,
1617.
Striued, pt. s. strove, 4099.
Sturne, Sturnli. See Sterne,
Sternely.
Studie, n. F. deep thought, 4038,
4056. Cf. 1. 130.
Sty, n. S. a path, 212.
Sued, pt. s. followed, f 957. See
Sewe.
Sufreded, pt. s. suffered (mis-writ-
ten for Sufred), 783; pp. suffred,
1014 ; imp. pi. suffrej?, permit ye,
3337.
Sunder, v. intr. to part, 1052.
Sunner, comp. adv. sooner, 962,
3366.
Surgens of salerne = surgeons of
Salerno, 964, 1576 ; spelt surgyens,
1033. Cf. " A surgyne of Salerne
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
307
enserches his wondes." Morte
Arthure; ed. Perry, 1. 4312.
Suster, n. S. sister, 2643, 5093,
1 175 ; gen. sing, susteres, f 236.
Ch.
Swapped, pp. struck off with a
sweeping blow, 3609. Cf. A.S.
swapan, to sweep ; swipe, a whip.
Ch.
Swelt, pt. s. S. fainted, 4268.
" Swalteryn for hete, or febylnesse,
or other cawsys. Exalo, sincopizo."
Prompt. Parv. A.S. sweltan, to
die, perish.
Swenged. See Swinge.
Sweteliche, adv. sweetly, 1329.
Sweting, n. S. sweetheart, a term
of endearment, 916, 1537, 2799,
3088.
Sweuen, n. S. a dream, 2312,
2869, 2916, &c. ; sweuene, 658,
915, 2294; pi. sweuenes, f599.
Ch.
Swiche, such, 414, 544, 710, 766,
781, &c. ; swich, 869. A.S.
swilc. Ch.
8 wittiest, sup. adv. swiftliest,
3454.
Swinge, pr. pi. they strike, 3439 ;
pt. s. swenged, 3444; pt.pl. swonge,
3856. A.S. swingan, to beat.
Swijje, adv. S. quickly, 41, 266,
1078, 1129, 1256, 1303, 1824,
4843, 5214; before an adj. swij?e
= very, as in 1628, f 107 ; and as
in t 546, f 567, f 833, where it is
spelt swith. As swi}>e = as quickly
as may be, 108, 352, 837; alse
swi^e, 3158. Swtye vpon hast,
very fast, very soon, 5195. [It
was by his criticisms upon this
word as occurring in Havelok that
Mr Singer demonstrated his singu-
lar ignorance. He interprets swtye
to mean a sword ! At this rate " a
swith faire swerd" in Alisaunder,
1. 833, would be tautological in-
deed.]
Swowe, n. S. swoon, 87. Ch.
labours, n. pi. 3813.
Tach, n. F. spot, blemish, dis-
grace, f 282. Ch.
Takes, pr. s. bestows, gives, 866 ;
pt. s. tok, delivered, gave, 4683 ;
pp. take, 1271, 1289 ; put for un-
take, 1280.
Tale. See Telle.
Taliage, n. F. a tax, impost, 5124.
O.E. taillage.
Talke, v. to tell, 1018, 1322, &c.
Talliche, adv. in a seemly manner,
1706. " This obsolete and unusual
word, from the S. tela, bene, is
preserved in the Prompt. Parv.
Tally, or semely and in semely
wyse. Decenter, eleganter." M.
Cf. Welsh telaid, graceful. The
Fr. faille sometimes means well
proportioned.
Tamid, pt. pi. tamed, subdued,
f84.
Targe, v. to tarry, f 211, f 410 ;
pt. s. targed, t 94. 0. F. targer,
whence targa, which occurs at p.
210, 1. 8 of this volume.
Te, put for To, 1222. Of. forte=
for to, note to 1. 788.
Teued,pp. S. tied, 3226; teied,
3232,
Telle, v. to teU, 34; tele, 4993;
tale, 160; pr. pi. tellus, 198;
pt. s. teld, 1475; told, 2009;jttf.j9/.
telden, 1662; tolde, 1469; pp.
teld, 2009 ; told, 1478 ; i-told,
1493; imp.pl. telles, 1346 ; telle|,
4621.
Tended,^, pi. attended, regarded,
1781 ; pp. tended of all, heard by
all with attention, t 997 ; imp. pi.
tend, f 7.
Tene, n. S. (1) sorrow, trouble,
grief, 607, 1107, 2369, 2476, 3013,
3735, 5192 ; teene, f 142, f 241,
+ 285; pi. tenes, 1013; also (2)
teene = anger, wrath, f 94, f 806 ;
treie and tene, vexation and anger,
2073. Ch.
20
308
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Tene, v. S. to vex, 2812 ; teene,
f380;^.5. teued, 2025 ;/>/?. tened,
1992, 2201 ; teenid, f 71 ; teened,
f 345. Ch.
Tenful, adj. S. vexatious, griev-
ous, painful, 2666, 4712 ; teene-
full, t 282.
Tenefully, adv. grievously, 437 ;
teenfully, harmfully, f 353.
Tent, n. intent, purpose, 1662.
See Tent in Halliwell.
Tentifly, adv. attentively, dili-
gently, 2258 ; tentyfli, 5124. Cf.
tentyfin Ch.
TenJ?edel, n. S. tenth part, 4715 ;
tijjedel, 5346. Cf. twenttye parte,
5354.
fea, pron. that, the, 765, 2458,
3059, 3422 ; rel. pron. who, which,
843, 2536, 4115 ; pi. 5274 ; )>e
(rel. pron.} 1687, 4422; conj. that,
544, 571, 903, 1983.
fea, put for feo, then, 571. See
po. [Or else miswritten for pa#.]
feai, they, 11, &c.; J>ei, 24, &c.;
pi. J>aim, them, 5407. See Hem.
fean, the, ace. sing, ofdef. art, 91.
fean, then, 83, 92, &c. ; J>anne,
100, &c. ; }>en, f 730.
fean, than, 589 ; >en, f 319.
fearto, thereto, 808.
feat, " when prefixed to a verb in
the present tense, [sometimes]
gives it a subjunctive or optative
signification, as in 319, 2795, &c."
M. pat, those who, 3459.
patou, that thou, 3128, 5159;
J?atow, 285, 914, 2787 ; J>attow,
4060.
fee, rel pron. which, 4422 ; pi. J?e,
1687. A.S. \>e, which is often a
relative pronoun, and is indeclin-
able.
J)ede, n. S. land, country, 1658.
feeder, adv. thither, 2235 ;
Hder, 33.
feederward, adv. thitherward, 835.
feei, they. See feai.
feei^h, conj. S. though, 451, 689,
3342; ^h, 919, 1017; J>ei,
1563 ; frouah, 349 ; J>ouh2,
2347 ; ei, t 677. pel *ei =
though they, f 511. Ch.
feemperour, put for \e emperour,
212, 218, &c. ; but written \>e
emperowr, 205. The pi. \>emper-
oures also occurs, 1612.
feen, than, f 319. See fean.
feenchesoun = J?e enchesoun, the
occasion, the cause, 2624. Ch.
See Enchesoh.
feende = }?e ende, the end, 4869,
5092. Ch.
feenke, v. S. to think, 4908 ; 1 p.
s. pr. )>enke, 711 ; }>enk, 1624 ; 2
p. pi. pr. thinken, f 2 ; pr. s. subj.
J>enk, 3370; imp. pi. Jnnkes, 3701.
Impersonal, seems, as in me mkes,
430, 446, 622 ; me Hnkeh 839 ;
sou dere |>inkes, 4727 ; 3011 lef
Hnkes, 384. Ch.
feennes, adv. thence, 2191;
Sennes, |67. Ch.
feer, adv. S. where, 1627, 3319,
&c. ; }>ere, 216, 279, &c.
feer as, there where, 1232, 1708 ;
>ere as, 3480.
feer a-boute, about it, 972.
feer-a-gayn, against it, 1450.
feer-mide, therewith, 5358.
feer-out, thence, 2820.
feer-tille, thereto, thereof, 2337.
feer-to-fore, before that time, until
then, 3435, 2611.
feer-vnder, under it, 3034.
feer-wi3t, therewith, 138.
feerjje, put for \e er]>e, the earth,
the ground, 3866, 5014. Ch.
feerwe, through, 107. See ferou^.
feewe, n. S. slave, bondman, 5514.
A.S. }>eow.
feewes, n.pl S. manners, customs,
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
309
189, 342, 500, 518. A.S. beam
Ch.
Jrider, adv. thither, 33, 752,
1082 ; }>eder, 2235.
j?ilke, the same, 2954 ; pi. those,
3530. Ch.
jjinkes. See jjenke.
Juries, pr. s. S. pierces, thrills
through, 612, 351%', pr.pl. fmrlen,
910 ; pt. s. Hrled, 3696 ; thurlude,
1 608 ; pp. Hrled, 826. Ch.
Jties, n. pi. S. thighs, f 191.
jtis, used in pi. these, 2240, 4251;
Jrise, 849, 889. Ch.
J)o, adv. S. then, 1865, 3265,
3591, 4342, &c. ; |>a, 571. A.S.
K Ch.
J)o, ^??. ^>?m. those, them, 1757,
2285, 3648, f!25, +137, f233.
A.S. M.
)5o, probably miswritten for J?e,
2901.
Dof, though, f 966. See jjei^h.
pole, v. S. to suffer, 918, 1247;
jojo. boled, 4514. Ch.
Conges, n. pi. thongs, 1720, 1736.
Jjonke, n. sing. S. thanks, 297.
Jjonke, v. S. to thank, 3522;
J>onk, 2794 ; 1 p. s. pr. 1248 ; pr.
s. f>onkes, 63 ; pt. s. Bonked, 1003,
1038, 1269 ; thonked, 2143; pt.pl.
Bonked, 1716, 2444. Ch.
J)orou-oute, throughout, f 191.
])ort, pt. s. need, might, ought,
1076, 3563, 3671; frurt, 3355,
4441, 4541, 4705, 4821, 4960; pt.
pi. jmrte, 3788. "It is derived
immediately from S. tharf-an t
thearf-an, thurf-an, thorf-ian, mak-
ing in pt. t. thorfte, and is allied to
a large class of words in the re-
maining Gothic dialects. Thus,
' dar (= thar) no mon hem wite, 3
[1. 2434] in the pr. t. corresponds
precisely to 'no gom thurt him
wite,' [1. 4705] in the pt. t. Hence
may be corrected the explanation
of the word in Havelok, vv. 9, 10.
He was the wicteste man at nede,
That thurte riden on ani stede.
A few more instances may not be
out of place. In Robert of Bruune's
translation of the Manuel des
Peches, completed in L303, we
have :
He wax so mylde and so meke,
A mylder man thurt no man seke.
MS. Harl. 1701, fol. 39.
So also, in the Romance of the
Seven Sages :
He toke a chamber nere that stede,
Him thurt noght care than for his
brede.
MS. Cott. Galb. E. ix. fol. 30 b.
In Harbour's Bruce, according to
Jamieson [p. 407] is written:
Tor scho wes syne the best lady,
And the fayrest, that men thurst se.
But we evidently ought to read
thurt se." M. The verb occurs
even in Moeso-Gothic, as, " land
bauhta jah tharf galeithan jah
saihwan thata " "I have bought
land, and I need to go and see it,"
Luke xiv. 18; and in the past
tense, " hwa gatawida Daweid, than
thaurfta jah gredags was" "how
David did, when he needed and was
hungry," Mark ii. 25.
ftourh, through, 4219. See
Jjoutest, 2 p. s. pt. thoughtest,
1249 ; Routes, 4066 ; pt. s. J>ou}t,
462 ; ]>out, 855 ; impersonal, me
bout, 2298 ; him fxm^t, 673 ; boujt
him loj>, 1255 ; hire bou$t, 857 ;
hire tout, 2908; him del boutf,
349.
pers. pron. thou, 312, 692.
, J^ouh}. See fieijh.
u$t, n. S. thought, 4054 ;
bout, 4116 ; 2out (read bout?),
447; pi. bodies, 861, 941, 4064.
Jpridde, adj. S. third, 2866, 4941.
)?ristliche, adv. S. lit. boldly ;
hence, beautifully (much as our
poets use bravely}, \ 191.
o, adj. vehement, eager, 3264,
310
GLOSSABIAL INDEX.
3564. Shortened from the word
Jjroli, adj. S. vehement, severe,
3518 ; J>roly, 612. A.S. ^red-lie,
severe, dire. Cf. thra in Jamieson.
#roli, adv. vehemently, heartily,
eagerly, earnestly, 910, 1038, 3176,
3407, 3664; J>roly, 127, 1696 ;
broliche, 103, t 215. It occurs
in P. PL A. ix. 107.
gropes, n. pi S. thorpes, small
villages, 2141. See Halliwell.
, prep. S. through, 459 ;
Jmrth, 216, 254, 522, 635, &c. ;
Jmrath, 1320, 1643; burh, 2149;
' bunh, 655; thorou, f 612,
f 897. [In 1. 3799 we find yurh,
probably miswritten for \>ourh,
(cf. 4219), owing to confusion with
the word ^our following soon after.]
)}rowe, n. S. time, while, a trice,
462, 622, 649, 679, &c. Ch.
ftrusch, n. a thrush, 820. | There
Jprustele,rc. a throstle, 820. j seems
to be a distinction here. Pals-
grave gives gryue (grive} as the
French for thrush, and maulvis
(maums Sc. mams) as the French
for throstle.
j^urlen, Thurlude. See Juries.
fturth, fturh, ftur^h, feui^th. See
burth-out, throughout, 1472 ;
Jjurth-oute, 5028 ; |>orou-oute,
t-lfL
Tid. See Tit.
Tide, v. S. (often impers.) to befall,
betide, 3017; tyde, 326; pr. s.
subj. tide, 137,607; tyde, 1560;
pt' s. tidde, 198, 797, 1067, 1416,
2496, 3962 ; tid, 787, 4178 ; (fol-
w. s. him
by an ace. case) _
tides, 1 681 ; pt. s. hem tidde, 1659,
1763, 2829 ; sou tidde, 1346 ; pp.
tidde, 4918. See also Bi-tide.
Tide, n. S. time, season, 859,
4952.
Tidi, adj. timely, seasonable ;
hence, also, fair, brave (time), 1710 ;
(host), 3556 ; (men), 4166 ; (earl-
dom), 5384 ; tidy (child), 160 ;
(tidings), 1339 ; (words), 3077 ;
tide (werwolf), 2496 ; sup. tidiest,
3909 ; tide^ist, 3556. A.S. tid-lic.
Du. tijdig. G. zeitig.
Tidili, adv. seasonably, suitably,
fitly, 4454 ; tidely, 5482 ; tidily,
f!94.
Tiding, n. tidings, news, 1478 ;
pi. tiding, 1493, 4877 ; tyding,
1075, 1134, 2677 ; tidinges, 4942 ;
twinges, 250. {The use of tiding,
tyding as pi. forms is worth notice. J
Tidly. SeeTitll
Tiffed, pt. s. attired, dressed,
arrayed, 2995 ; pp. tiffed, 2995,
3183. Cf. O. N. typpa. See Cole-
ridge's Gloss. Index.
Tille, prep. S. unto, to, 232, 662,
864, 977, 4039 ; till, f 605,
f 1025 ; til, 412, 788, 1475. Ch.
Timbred, pp. S. built, 2015.
Time, v. to happen, in the pin: so
me wel time (so may it happen
well to me, so may good betide
me), 3570, 5433 ; so me wel tyme,
279. A.S. getimian, Sw. tirna,
Dan. times, to happen. See the
note in Wedgwood on the word
Beteem. [Mr Wedgwood is of
opinion that I have wrongly ex-
plained tymen in P. PI. Crede, 742,
and that " Y mi}t tymen" = I could
find it in my heart to, as in the
phr. " I could teeme it," for which
see Halliwell, s. v. Teem. This
would connect tymen in the Crede
with A.S. getimian, to happen, not
with A. S. tymian, to tame, compel.]
Tine, v. to lose, 299, 1365, f 358,
f378; tyne, 358, 2176; Zp.pl.
pr. tine, 3015 ; pp. tint, f 30 ; tynt,
1560. O.N. tyna. [Marked as
A.S. by Halliwell, but not given
by Bosworth.]
Tire, v. to attire, 4478 ; pp. tyred,
263.
Tijjedel. See Ten}>edel.
TiJ>inges. See Tiding.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
311
Tit, adv. quickly, soon, 1013,
1054, 3445, 3552, 4066, fSO;
tyt, 1373, 4245 ; tid, 753, 4167,
4192, 4763, f 377, f549; tijt,
133. As tit = as soon as might
be, thereupon, 328, 3550; as tyt,
238, 292. As tit as, as soon as,
852, 2921; sup. tittest, soonest.
Icel. tittj from #/$, time. Sw. tidt,
from tid, time. Hence the word is
nearly related to Tidily. Cf. Titli,
also spelt Tidly.
Titli, adv. quickly, soon, 2666;
titly, 1416, 2694, 3388; tit-
liche, 2528 ; tytely, t 7 ; tutli,
1706, 2282, 2476 ; tiatly, 66, 285,
487, &c. ; tidly, f 640, -f 809,
f 974. As titly, very soon, 2108.
[In 11. 66 and 1706 it is possible
that tidily or ttyli may mean
tightly, closely.]
To, adv. too, 11, 5024.
To, two, 2877. See Tvo.
To-, verbal prefix. It does not
seem to have been hitherto suffi-
ciently noted, that there are, in
A.S., two distinct prefixes spelt
alike. They are (1) to-, 0. Sax.
te- y Mceso-Goth. dis-, Ger. zer-,
Lat. dis-, meaning apart, asunder,
in two pieces; and (2) to-, Du.
toe-, G. zu-y Mceso-Goth. du-, which
is merely the prep, to in composi-
tion. Examples of the first are
common in Early Eng., but of the
second less so, which has led to an
undue disregard of its force. Of
the examples below, only the two
last, To-wawe and To-^elde, belong
to the latter class ; and in the
Wycl. Gloss, there is but one, viz.
to-ne^hen = to approach. The
verbs with this prefix are here
collected.
To-barst, pt. s. S. burst asunder,
374. G. zerbersten, 0. Sax. tebres-
tan. Ch.
To-brak, pt. s. S. brake in pieces,
3237 (see Judges ix. 53) ; pp. to-
broke, utterly broken, 3410. G.
zerbrechen. Ch.
To-clatered, pp. broken to pieces
with a loud clatter, 2858. "This
reading is rendered certain by a
passage in the Romance of Ferum-
bras;
Ys scheld that was wyth gold y-
batrid : & eke wyth ire
ybounde,
Sone thay had hit al to-clatrid :
the peeces lay e on the grounde.
MS. Ashm. 60 ft fol. 12." M.
I add another example.
" And on the hed he hym batrid
That hys hedd all to-datride."
Sir Degare, MS. Camb. Univ.
Lib. Ff. ii. 38, fol. 259 6.
And see Halliwell.
Too-clef, pt. s. S. intr. broke in
half, split asunder, f 1009.
To-cleued, pt. s. S. trans, clove
asunder, 3865.
To-drawe, pp. S. drawn asunder,
1564, 2020, 2086, 2138, 3740,
4773, 5479.
To-hewe,j?p. S. hewn to pieces,
3412. G. zerhauen. Ch.
To-shett, pt. s. S. brake in half,
1 1008. Lit. shot asunder; cf. the
quotation in Halliwell, "Hys fote
scJiett" = his foot shot aside,
slipped.
To-sprong, pt. pi S. sprang
asunder, cracked asunder. G.
zerspringen.
To-tere, v. S. to tear in pieces,
3884 ; pt. s. to-tare, 3884. Ch.
To-twi^t, pt. s. S. twitched
violently, pulled up by the roots,
2097. See To-twitch in Coleridge's
Gloss. Index.
To-wawe, v. S. move about,
toddle to and fro like a child, 19.
Wawe = wag is common; but it is
also found in the exact sense used
here.
" Thanne is the child quic anon :
of stren^the naveth hit no^t
Enes for to wawe : er hit beo
furthe i-bro^t ;
312
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Of thulke soule hath ech man :
that may wawi and gon," &c.
Pop. Treatises on Science, ed. T.
Wright, p. 139.
The prefix to- has here nearly
the force of the G. zu- in zuwanken.
The compound verb is very rare,
but it is the same, I believe, as
occurs in a transitive sense in the
following " weder bifc fseger . . .
beofc wolcen to-wegen; " i. e. "the
weather is fair, the clouds are re-
moved." Phoenix, pt. III. (1. 2) ; in
Codex Exoniensis, ed. Thorpe. Cf.
Sc. "wauchle, to move from side
to side in walking, like a young
child ; " Jamieson. Cf . G. zuwanken,
i, A. S. To-gewaegan, to
carry to.
To-^elde, pt. s. yielded to ; vp to-
selde = yielded up to, with the to
repeated, 3924. Cf. G. zugeben, to
grant, as showing the force of the
prefix to-.
To-fore, prep. S. before, 2091 ;
also adv. before (of time), 142, 793,
925, 2446, &c.; (of place), 2390;
to-for, 2886; tofore, f 46,
f 930. Ch.
To-gaderes, adv. S. together, 699 ;
to-geder, 909 ; to-gidere, 1011.
TokeneJ), pr. s. betokens, 2937.
Tol, n. tool ; egge-tol = edged
tool, weapon, 3755.
Tom, n. leisure, 3778. Cf. Sc.
toom, Dan. and Sw. torn, vacant.
The word occurs in P. PI. A. ii.
160. "Toom. Spacium,tempus, opor-
tunitas." Prompt. Parv.
Tombled, pt. s. tumbled, 2776,
3866. See Tumbel.
Ton, n. pi toes, f!94. Ch.
Too-clef. See the word preceding
To-cleued.
Top ouer tail, head over heels,
2776. " A proverbial phrase, used
also in Lynasay, which I believe is
not yet obsolete." M. It occurs
in Barbour's Brus, ed. Jamieson,
v. 755. Halliwell gives another
instance.
Tor, adj. difficult, 1428, 5143 ;
toor, 5066. "From the Su-G.
and Isl. tor, difficile. This term,
spelled tore and teir, occurs also in
the three Romances of Sir Gawaync,
in the Houlate, pt. 2. st. 9, ancl in
Rauf Coilzear, ap. Laing, st. 37."
M. See Gawayne and Grene
Knty, ed. Morris, 165, 719.
To-ri^tes, 3066, &c. See Kijtes.
Touche, v. F. to touch upon,
talk, treat of, 5033 ; 1 p. s. pt.
touched, 4108 ; pt. s. toched,
4991 ; pt.pl. touched, 4993 ; pt. s.
(= belonged to), 5384; pres. part.
touchend, 1383.
Tour, n. F. a tower, 2015. Ch.
Tow, used for foil (thou), after \at
preceding, 4478. Cf. Seidestow,
&c.
To-ward, adv. S. forward, forth-
coming, ready at hand, 1443 ;
toward, 1101. Cf. ZbowrrfinNares.
To-heuene-ward, towards heaven,
102.
Trattes, n. pi. old women, spoken
contemptuously, 4769. " Sec
Jamieson' s notes on this word, and
Tyrwhitt on Chauc. v. 7164. The
most obvious etymon is Teut. trot,
a woman, an old woman, a witch.
See Wachter, in v." M. See also
Trot in Halliwell ; and cf.
" An aged trot and tough did marie
with a lad."
Of a contrerie manage, by G.
Turberville, ab. A.D. 1567.
Trauaile, n. F. labour, 1560;
trauayle, 358, 2176 ; trawayle,
299 ; pi. trauayles, 2666, 4712.
Traysted.^)/?. F. deceived, betrayed,
2075, 4769. " See Jamieson, in v.
Betreyss, and Skinner. From the
latter Chatterton borrowed the
word, therefore Bryant might have
saved himself the trouble of quoting
passages from the present poem to
prove the authenticity of the phan-
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
313
torn Rowley." M. Cf. 0. F.
traistre, a traitor.
Treie, n. S. vexation, 2073. See
the note.
Trestes, 2 p. s. pr. trustest, 970.
Trewe, adj. S. true ; leue me for
trewe = believe me to be true,
1562 ; trew, 596.
Triaele, n. treacle, i. e. an antidote
against poisons and diseases,! 198.
See Treacle in Prompt. Parv., and
Way's note. Ch.
Trie, adj. F. lit. tried, proved;
hence choice, excellent, noble ;
(tree), 761 ; (attire), 1721, 4542 ;
(lords), 1289; (order), 4465;
(towers), f!6; (town), f 157 ;
(treacle), 1 198 ; (places), f 333 ;
(folk), f 345 ; tri (tree), 753, 789;
trye (game), 387 ; sup. triest,
1443. " The same word occurs
in the Romance of Richard Coer
de Lion, 1. 6450, ' with fyn syluyr
and gold ful trye ; ' in the Romance
of Octavian, 1. 1467, 'of Sarsyns
stout and trye ; ' in Chaucer's
Cant. T. ' with suger that is trie ;'
and in the poems of Friar Michael
Kyldare, MS. Harl. 913, which
contain the earliest instances of it
I have yet met with. It is un-
doubtedly an abbreviation of the
pp. tried, as shown bv the various
readings of the Wychffite texts of
the Bible, Exod. c. xvi. and Lev.
c. ii., where is the expression trie
or tried flour." M. So also
trieste, trhest, and tryest are various
readings for triedest in P. PI. A. i.
126, q. v.
Trieliche, adv. choicely, excellently
(always joined with a-tired), 4819;
triliche, 1228 ; tryli, 3198 ;
tri^liche, 4861.
Trist, imp. s. S. trust thou, f489.
Tristy, adj. trusty, 596, 1228,
2015, f 329, t 952.
Triced, pt. s. 3556, in " & triced
him to a tidi ost." Explained by
Sir F. Madden to mean "drew,
joined." But I believe that him to
is put for to him, (a not uncommon
usage, cf. 11. 662, 864, &c.), and
then triyed to him = chose out for
himself, picked out the best men
he could find, which is the drift of
the passage. Cotgrave gives
"Trier, to pick, chuse, cull out
from among others ;" which further
explains why the word trie bears
the sense of choice. See Trie.
Trompes, n. pi. trumpets, 3358 ;
trumpes, 3813.
Trowe, v. S. to believe, trow, hold
for a truth, 4840 ; I p. ,<?. pr. trowe,
540, 1031, 1995; trow, 299; pt.
s. trowed, 1018 ; trowede, 1480 ;
pt.pl. trowed, f 919 ; imp. s. trowe,
4363 ; imp. pi. trowe}), 2112. Ch.
[In 1. 1480 perhaps we should read
mysse-trowede as one word; but 1.
141 renders this doubtful.]
Trusse, v. to pack up, f 549. Cf.
Havelok, 2017.
Trustili, adv. S. courageously,
3904.
Tumbel, pr. s. subj. tumble, 3388.
See Tombled.
Tunnes, n. pi. S. casks, 2743.
Tvo, two, 1688, 1698, 1777,
2162, &c. ; to, 2877.
Tweie, two, 2008, 2147 ; tweine,
2507; twevne, 812, 929, 1528.
[The distinction between this word
and tvo is that tweie is used after
the personal pronouns vs, hem, ]>ei,
&c. ; whilst tvo precedes a noun.]
Twentife, twentieth, 5354.
Twi3es, adv. twice, 3721.
Twynne, v. S. to part, 1572. Ch.
Tyr, n. F. attire, 1725. Cf. A-tir.
Uch, each, every, 776, 884, 1488;
uche, 5000; vch a, 511.
Venge, v. F. to avenge, 5197; cf.
auenged, pp., f 281.
Yenorye, n. F. beasts of the chase,
game, 1685.
314
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Verali, adv. verily, 5197 ;
veraly, 639.
Vitayles, n. pi. F. victuals, 1121.
Ch.
Ymbe-cast, pp. S. beset, sur-
rounded, 2319, 4693. Cf. Bi-cast.
[The prefix is the A.S.' ymb-, Old
Saxon umbi-, G. um-, Du. Dan.
and Sw. om-, Gk. a/^.]
Unclainte, pr. s. f 1172. This is
surely miswritten for unclamte-=.
undamped, unfastened, from A.S.
clam, a clamp. The only difference
between m and in, in the hand-
writing of the MS., would consist
in there being a dot over the first
of the three downstrokes. The
copyist may have been thinking of
unchainte = unchained.
Yndede, pt. s. undid, unfastened,
4846 ; pp. vndo, 2078.
Vnder-fonge, v. S. to take, receive,
5259.
Vndersto (miswritten for vnder- '
storc), pr. pi. they understand,
5533; .pi. s. vnderstod, 877; pp.
vnderston, 5262.
Ynglad, adj. S. joyless, 2106.
Ungome, v. S. to unman, to drive
the men away from, f 294. [The
meaning is clear, but I know of no
other instance of the word.] Cf.
Gome.
Vn-hendly, adv. S. discourteously, j
492. Cf. Hende.
Un-hent, pp. S. uncaught, un-
captured, 1671. Cf. Hent.
Unkinde, adj. S. unnatural, f34.
Ch.
Unkouthe, adj. unknown, un-
familiar, strange, f 48 ; unkouth,
unknown, not understood, f683.
Ch.
Ynnejje, adv. S. scarcely, 132.
Ch.
Vn-tetche, n. disgraceful action,
509. Tetche is another form of
Tach, q. v. The O.F. tache means
a quality or disposition, either good
or bad ; so in the Prompt. Parv.
" Tetche, or maner of condycyone,
Mos, condicio" Hence vn-tetche
means an evil habit, or disgraceful
act. At the same time, as the
word was most commonly used in
a bad sense, we find tach used
for a blemish. See tache, tacher,
teche, in Roq. ; tacches in P. PL ;
tache in Halliwell and Cotgrave.
Vntille, prep, unto, 2998.
Yntydi, n. pi. mean, poor, 1455.
Cf. Tidi.
Unwele, adj. S. wicked, f513.
Well = good, adj. is given in Cole-
ridge's Gloss. Index.
Yn-woundet, pp. unwounded,
1280.
Yowche-sauf, imp. s. vouchsafe,
grant, 1449. Cf. Fouche. Ch.
Yp, prep. S. upon, 2378, 2809.
Cf. G. auf.
Yp happe, perhaps, 2722.
Yp-keuerede, pt. s. recovered, rose
again, 2759.
Yp-leped, pt. s. leapt up, 3283.
Yp-rise, v. S. to rise up, 1791 ;
pr. s. vp-rises, 872. Ch.
Vp-ri^ttes, upright, 1789. Cf.
Ri^tes.
Wahan, Wan, Wanne. See Whan.
Waie, miswritten for weie, f 530.
See Wei}.
Waite, v. F. (1) intr. to watch,
look about, spy about, 1821, f 760 ;
wayte, 1023; pt. s. waited, 2729 ;
waited him, 1230; waited out,
2425 ; wayted, 835 ; wayted
aboute, 682; weited, 3030; pt.
pi. wayteden out, 3300 ; wey-
teden out, 5018; waited aboute,
2231; pres. part, waytend out,
2982 ; waitende out, 3713 ; wey-
tende to, 779. (2) trans, to be on
the look-out for, watch for, seek
after, pr. s. waites him = seeks out
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
315
for himself, 1 808 5 in f. whayte,
1885; waite, 4051; wayte, 148.
\In the latter sense it generally has
tf double accusative^ Cf. A-weite.
O.F. waiter, gaiter. See Wait in
Wedgwood ; and cf. " Waytyn or
done harme, waytyn to harme.
Insidior" Prompt, Parv.
Wake, v. S. to watch, keep awake,
2007.
Walken, v. S. to walk, go, 2129 ;
pres. pt. walkende, 2427.
Wallop, n. F. gallop ; lience, a
wallop, on the gallop, 1770. " In
the Prompt. Parv. we read,
' Waloppynge of horse, Voluptacio;'
and ' Waioppon, as horse. Pblxpto. 3 "
M. See Gloss, to Romans of
Partenay.
Walt, Walte. See Welde.
Waltres, 2 p. s. pr. S. waverest,
rollest about, 947. See Welt and
Welter in Jamieson, Waltrynge
and Welwynge in Prompt. Parv.,
and Wallow, Welter in Wedgwood.
A.S. wealtian, to reel. See Wycl.
Gloss.
Wan, Wanne (when). See Whan.
Wan (pt. s. won). See Winne.
War, adv. where, 3832. See Whar.
War, adj. S. aware, 1201, 1238,
1769, 3594, 3635, 3827; whar,
3382.
Warchet. See Waryshe.
-Ward ; implying direction. See
Cheping-ward, To- ward.
Ward^. F. guard, keeping, 1370,
2202 ; warde, 376, 961. Oh.
Warded, pp. F. guarded, kept,
101.
Wardeyn, n. F. commander, 1104.
Ware, pt. pi. = were, 420.
Warfore, adv. S. wherefore,
2027 ; werfore, 1081.
Warison, n. F. reward, 2259 ;
wareson, 2253, 2379. O.F.
warison, garison ; from garir, to
guard. Cf. Garisun. Ch.
Warnestured, pp. furnished, pro-
vided, 1121. 0. F. warnesture,
provisions ; Roq. Cf. Warnestore
inCh.
Warnished, pp. furnished, 1083.
O.E. warnir, garnir. Roq.
Warysche, v. F. to cure, 4283 ;
pp. warsched, 604 ; warchet =
guarded, 2622. O.F. garir, guerir,
preserver, garantir. Roq. "In
the first sense it occurs [used in-
transitively] in the Prompt. Parv.
' Warschyn ' mrecuryn of sekenesse.
Convalesce, convaleo? " M. Ch,
Wycl. Gloss.
Was, used for had, 538. "This
is still provincial." M.
Waschen, pp. washed, 5070 ;
whasche, 2997.
Wast, in plir. in wast = in waste,
i.e. in vain, 703, 718, 802, 1660,
&c.
Wat, put for What, 2829, 4246.
Wat so, whatsoever, 607.
Wateren, v. S. to water, provide
with water, 3234. Wycl. Gloss.
Wawe, n. S. wall, 19. So in Sir
F. Madden's edition ; but see To-
wawe, and the note on this line.
Wax, Waxen. See Wexe.
Waywarde, adj. S. (used as si.)
wayward, perverse, averse, 3985.
Wayned, pt. pi. 2386. Wayned
from = got away from, departed.
" The original meaning seems to be
that of gaining, getting. In some
O.E. works wayne is used like our
word get.
Than past up the proude quene in-
to preve chambre,
Waynes out at wyndow, and waytes
aboute.
Alexander, ed. Stevenson, 944."
Quoted by Morris, Gloss, to Allit.
Poems. The context shews that
waynes out in this quotation =
puts out her head. See also P. PI.
A. vi. 92, where for wynne vp t
MSS, of B-type have wayne vp. Cf.
316
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Winne. [O&s. This word is some-
times confused with wayue, O.F.
guesver.~\
Wede, n. S. clothes, armour, 585,
3535 ; pi. wedes, 1932, 2563, 3087.
Ch.
Weder, n. S. weather, 2440 ; pi.
wederes, 5216. Ch.
Wei, n. S. a way, road, 1578 ;
weie, 1732 ; wey, 205, 1781 ;
weye, 1019 ; pi. weies, 2131, 2150 ;
weyes, 1224 ; wei^es, 2207, 3507,
4677. In a mile wei = in a short
space, i.e. in a short time, 1578.
Weih,?i. S. a balance, 9 47. Waltres
in a weih = waverest in a balance ;
as we now say, tremblest in the
balance. A..S.tcce>ye, wege, a weighing
machine, balance. Cf. Weihe,
Wycl. Gloss.
Weilawey, inter j. S. alas ! 935.
A.S. wa, la wa = wo, lo ! wo !
whence wei la wey, of which well-
away is an unmeaning corruption.
Weited, "Wey ten de. See Waite.
Wei3, n. S. a man, 4466 ; weish,
281, 745, 790, 793, &c. ; weie,
t 777 ; weih, f 1184 ; waie,
t 530 ; whi}, 4463 ; wijh, 565,
724, 2021, 2415 ; pi. weies, f 164,
t 653 ; whiles, 1221, 3456 ; whie^s,
3364 ; wies, 208 ; wi^es, 239, 2036,
2521 ; wishes, 1932 ; wie3S, 2709 ;
wie^es, 3652. A.S. wiga, warrior,
from wig, war.
Wei^es, n. S. wise, manner, 5526.
A better spelling is Wice, q. v.
Wei, adv. S. very ; thus, wei old,
very old, 4; wei long, very long,
936; wei gret, very great, 1545;
wei sore, very sorely, 1552; wei
wo, very woful, 1642 ; wei god
spede, very good pace, 1846. Wei
is, it is a good thing for (the op-
posite o/wo is), 3303.
Welde,v. S. to wield, have power
over j hence, to possess, enjoy,
have, 2946, 5157, 1 206; weld,
76, 135, 717, 1356, 1385, 1453,
2017, 2253, 2959, 4741 ; 1 p. s.pr.
weld, 282, 4000; pr. s. weldes
712, 1651, 1873, 3313,3752,3753,
3832, 4466 ; weldes his hele, en-
joys his health, 1375, 1377 ; weldes
a wrong, enjoys a possession wrong-
fully, f 87 ; pt. s. wait, 144, 2990,
3887, 4730 ; walte, 1 450 ; welt
142, 230, 3710, 4835 ; welte,
3680; 2 p. pl.pt. wait, 3691 ; pp.
welt, 856. [It often has little more
force than simply to have.] Cf.
Wycl. Gloss.
Weie, n. S. wealth, 1325, 3658,
4073,5046,5054. [In phr. "wor-
chip and weie," except in 4073.]
Ch.
Wem, w. S. blemish, injury,
2460. Ch.
Wen. See Whan.
Wende, v. S. to go, 320, 329,
425, 2089 ; wend, 771, f 727 ;
wen[d], 5185 ; wende of, to de-
part, 1663 ; 1 p. s. pr. wende,
1555 ; 2 p. s. pr. wendest, 1555 ;
pr. s. wendes, 232, 1640, 1897;
wendes of, departs from, 5537;
wendej>, 408; pt. s. went, 1839,
2069 ; wende, 259 ; pt. pi. went,
4201 ; imp. pi. wende}>, 3338 ;
pres. pt. wending, 1821. Phrase :
be went = be a:one to, as in is went,
701, 2064; was went, 15, 28,
376, 1984, 2109 ; were went, 208,
5409 ; be went, 2071. We also
find was gon, 1859 ; and haue
went, 1853.
Wene, v. S. to ween, think, ex-
pect, suppose, 554, 706, 715 ; 1 p.
s. pr. wene, 931 ; 2 p. s. pr. wenes-
tow = wenest >ou, 1558 ; pr. s.
wene)?, 3116 ; 2 p. pi. pr. wene,
4205 ; pt. s. wende, 680, 687, 731,
1853, 1943; wend, 229, 671, 1488,
1773, 4982, t 789 ; wen[d], 261 ;
pt.pl. wend, 2765. Ch.
Wenne, 4263. See Winne.
Wepe, v. S. to weep, 310 ; pt. s.
wepte, 38 ; wept, 45 ; wep, 50 ;
wepud, 2914 ; part. pres. wepand,
1668 ; wepande, 2357, 2419. Ch.
GLOSSAHIAL INDEX.
317
Wer, n. doubt, perplexity, 3513.
"Tyrwhitt considers this word,
and, apparently, with reason, to be
the Fr. guerre. See Gloss, to
Chaucer, and Jamieson's examples,
in v." M. Perhaps it may be
better to say, rather, that guerre is
obviously from a Teutonic source.
Cf. Du. wore, contention (Kilian) ;
G. mire, confused; gewirre, con-
fusion. In fact, the word occurs
in 0. Saxon. " The thit giuuer
frumid, he who makes a sedition, or
disturbance'' Heliand, ed. Schmel-
ler, p. 148, 1. 1. Cf. Werre.
Wer, adv. where, 3030 ; were,
222, 4839.
Werche, v. to work, 650 ;
wirche, 1173, 1372, 2244, 2323,
3925, 4790; wirch, f517;
wirchen, 468, f 412 ; worche,
257, 548, 809 ; pr. s. werches,
1207 ; wirches, 1176 ; worchej>,
2579 ; imp. s. wirche, 667. And
see Wrou^t.
Werder, adj. 3185. Sir F. Mad-
den suggests "wild," but doubt-
fully. By a mere guess, I suggest
werder-bestes harmful beasts, as
if from werder, a harmer, from the
A.S. wyrdan, to harm, which is
used in the Ormulum in the forms
weordenn and icerdenn. The word
is very plain in the MS., or we
might conjecture it to be an error
for wonder = wonderful, as in 11.
1873, 2786.
Werfore, wherefore, 1081.
Werne, v. S. to refuse, oppose,
305 ; 2 p. pi. pr. wern, f 1105 ;
pt. pi. werned, f 66, f 905. Ch.
Werre, n. S. war, 1083, 2349,
2613, 2645 ; wer, 2625.
Werre, v. S. to war, 1070, 1077,
1173 ; pp. werred, 3997.
Werwolf, n. S. man-wolf, passim ;
pi werwolfs, 2540. Cf. P. PI.
Crede, 459.
Wery, adj. S. weary, 2236 ; wo
wery, weary with woe, 793. See
the note.
Weues, pr. s. trans, sways, causes
to waver, makes to vacillate, causes
to change from hope to fear and
from fear to hope, keeps in agita-
tion, 922 ; infin. intr. weue, waver
or hover in the air, 4368. \In the
latter case, Sir E. Madden calls it
the pp., but we may translate it,
" the ashes of her body (shall)
waver in the wind." The A.S.
verb is wafian, to waver. Cf. G.
weben, (intr.) to float about.]
Weued, pt. s. raised, lifted, 2978.
[The word implies a swaying or
quivering motion in the thing lift-
ed ; see the preceding word. Cf.
tl wefden up ]>a castles ;ate" =
weighed up the castle-gate ; La^a-
mon, iii. 373 ; and see Wevynge in
Prompt. Parv. In P. PL A. vi. 92,
for To wynne vp \e wiket-ytt two
MSS. have To weue out ]>e wyketJ]
Wexe, v. S. to grow, become,
124 ; wex, 563, 737, f 668 ; pr.
s. subi. wex, 266 ; pt. s. wax, 630,
785, 828, 1035, 1204, 1911, 2053,
2222, 4095 ; wex to = became,
140 ; pt. pi. waxen, 2931 ; pp.
wox, 109, 798 ; wexen, 1776 ;
woxen, f 54. Ch.
Whayte. See Waite.
Wham, pron. S. whom, 314, 441,
769, 1275, 4155. [In 1. 4340 it is
spelt whan, unless we supply hire,
which is preferable.]
Whan, pt. s. procured, 2852. See
Winne.
Whan, adv. when, 305, 308, 744,
&c. ; whanne, 80, 145, &c. ;
wanne, 11, 854, 1262 ; wan, 2484,
4026 ; wen, 2821 ; wahan,
(read whan?), 1572.
Whar, adv. where, 394 ; war,
3832. Wharbi, why, 2256.
Whar, adj. aware, 3382. See
War.
Whas, pron. whose, 1441.
Whas,^/0rWas, 3912.
Whasche, pp. washed, 2997. See
Waschen.
318
GLOSS ARIAL INDEX.
What = what if, 549.
What rink so, whatsoever man,
1193.
"What, put for Wot, knows, 1172.
See Wite.
Whatow, put for What fow,
what thou, 4066.
Whedir, Whederward. See
Whider.
Whennes,adv. whence, 478,3122.
Where, put for Were, 261, 502,
2750.
Where, adv. whether, 2946;
wher, 799. Ch.
Where as, where that, 1782.
Whiche, used in the sense what
sort of, 1777, 2705, 3118. See
Wich.
Whider, adv. whither, 104, 701,
948, 2689 ; whedir, 2309. Whider
sometimes has the sense of where,
as in 2486.
Whiderward, adv. whither, in
what direction, 105, 223, 2167 ;
whederward, 2827. Whiderward
as, wherever, 2830.
While, n. S. while, time, 15, 574 ;
wile, 79, 487 ; wffle, 988.
While, adv. whilst, 2537 ; wile,
537 ; whille, 129 ; wil, 1492,
2277,5228,5536. Ch.
Whiles, adv. S. meanwhile, 2736.
"Is formed, like nedes, from the
gen. case. Hence our whilst" M.
Cf. Whilis, Wycl. Gloss.
Whiles, n. pi. S. wiles, 862.
Whilum, adv. sometimes, at times,
1788 ; whilom, in former times,
formerly, 2846. [In f 521 whilome
is a gloss for Home, q. v.] As
whiles is the gen. sing, of A.S.
hwil t so whilum is the dot. plural.
Ch.
White, v. See Wite (to blame).
Whi}, n. See Wei}.
Whi^t, n. See Wijt.
Wic. See Wicke.
Wicche, v. S. to practise witch-
craft, use sorcery, 2539 ; pp.
wicched, bewitched, 4427. A.S.
wiccian.
Wicchecraft, n. S. witchcraft,
118, 120, 4427 ; wichecraft, 4044.
Wice, n. S. wise, way, 4380. Cf.
Wei3es, Wise.
Wich, pron. ace. sing, what,
3981 ; ace. pi. masc. whom, 4093,
4161. Wiche a = what sort of a,
3354; wiche an = what sort of a
(referring to the hart only, and we
must suppose wiche repealed before
an hinde), 2820.
Wicke, adj. wicked, evil, bad,
4599 ; wic, 4652 ; wicked (ap-
plied to ways), 3507. Ch.
Wide, v. S. to grow mad, 1509.
The A.S. is wedan, and wide is
perhaps miswritten for wede. Cf. A-
wede.
Wide where a-boute, adv. S.
abroad, everywhere, 2605, 4763;
wide wher a-boute, 82, 2202.
The word wide went, 1569. "A
phrase much used in our old
writers. See notes to Havelok, 1.
959." M. Cf. P. PL A. ix. 53,
and Ch.
Wie^s, Wie^es. See Wei}.
Wikkedly, adv. S. cruelly, danger-
ously, 1218.
Wil, Wile, Wille. See While.
Willeful, adj. S. willing, desirous,
bent upon, 5493 ; wilfull, f 412.
Wycl. Gloss.
Wilfulli, adv. S. willingly, with
good will, readily, heartily, 1782,
3300, 3322, 4733 ; wilsfully,
1 590. Ch.
Willenyng, n. S. wish, desire,
choice, 3983. Cf. A.S. willnung.
William, gen. case, 1221, 1372.
Wilne, v. S. to wish for, desire,
719, 3563, 4597, 4736 ; willne,
3983, 3985 ; 1 p. s. pr. wilne,
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
319
1732 ; 2 p. pi. pr. wilne, 3343 ; pr.
s. wilues, 265, 301, f622; pr.pl.
wilnen after, 59 ; 1 p. s. pt. wilned,
4132 ; pt. s. wilned, 3925, 4590 ;
imp. s. wilne, 4734; pp. wilned,
2134. Ch.
Wilsfully. See Wilfulli.
Wilsum, adj. S. loved, desirable,
amiable, 5394.
Winne, v. S. to win, acquire,
come (used much as we use get
colloquially} ; winne in si^t = get
in sight, come in sight, 94 ; winne
horn = get home, 2457 ; winne
him awei = get him away, 3623 ;
winne J?e = get hold of thee, 4263 ;
winne nere him, get near him,
3889; 1 p. s.pt. wan, 2026; pt. s.
wan (got), 190, 1920, 2500 ; (came),
2498 ; wanne, 3973 ; whan, 2852 ;
wan in (came in), 4237 ; wan bi
(went by), 417 ; wan vp (got up),
3289 ; pt. pi. wonne, 1224, 2242 ;
pp. wonne, 82, 1117.
Wirch, Wirchen, Wirches. See
Werche.
Wirdernesse, probably an error
for wildernesse, 3311.
Wise, n. S. way, manner, 485,
490, &c. ; wice, 4380. Ch.
Wisli, adv. S. truly, verily, 2947,
3118 ; wisly, 661 ; wiseli, 4615 ;
wisseli, 673, 721 ; wislich, f 754.
Ch.
Wisse, v. tr. S. to make to know,
to teach, instruct, shew, tell, 1356,
1666, 2110, 3086; (to protect),
f 806 ; wissen, 640 ; pr. s. subj.
wisse, 1804 ; pt. s. wissed, 2207,
2716, 2727 ; wist, 172 ; pt. pi.
wissed, 5445 ; imp. s. wisses, 4004.
P. PI.
"Wisse ; phr. i wot wel to wisse,
I know for certain, 3397. Here
wisse seems to be an adj. (A.S.
fewis, Old S. uuiss, certain). Cf.
4114.
Wit-oute, prep, without, 2573.
Wite, v. S. to blame, 458, 530,
4705, f 972 ; white, 304 ; 1 p. s.
pr. wite, 900 ; pp. wited, 519 ; imp.
pi. witeK 2069 ; wite, 4335, 4600,
5525. Ch.
Wite, v. to keep, guard, preserve,
257 ; 2 p. s. pr. subj. 302 ; pt. s.
wited, 176 ; imp. pi. witej>, 3008.
See Gloss, to Havelok and La^amon.
Wite, v. S. to know, 542, 560,
1458, 2081, 2733, &c. ; 1 p. s. pr.
wot, 105, 239, 316, 478, 697, &c. ;
wott, f 754 ; 2 p. s. pr. wost,
4065 ; wostou (= wost }>ou), 2274 ;
pr. s. wot, 314, 1871 ; what, 1172 ;.
2 p. pi. pr. witen, 4328 ; 2 p. s. pr.
subj. wite, 281 ; pr. s. subj. wite,
937 ; pt. s. wist, 40, 375, 690, 951,
1118, f 334, &c.; wiste, 145, 830,
836 ; pt. pi. wisten, 2195, 5283,
f372; wist, 1663; imp. s. wite,
38 ; white, 1884 ; witow (= wite
J>ou) 68, 105, 300, &c. ; wittow,
375, 752 ; wittou, 3178 ; imp. pi.
witeK 4351. Lete wite, 2171. Do
vs to wite, 1459. Ch.
Witerly, adv. plainly, openly,
clearly, unmistakably, certainly,
40, 229, 289, 316, 533, 624, 680 ;
witerli, 5288; witterli, 667,
815, 2705; witterly, 491, 514,
1407. Cf. Dan. vitterlig, publicly
known. Ch.
Wij>, prep, witb (used in the
sense of by), 1060, 1367, 1492 ;
wist, 2177 ; wbth, 163 ; cf. Jer-
wijt in 1. 138. Observe 11. 411, 824.
Wijj-drow him, pt. s. refl. with-
drew, 2993 ; pt. pi. wiJj-drow hem,
1285.
Withlich. See
Wijj-oute, prep, besides, 1291.
With-sede, pt. s. gainsaid, con-
tradicted, opposed, 3930. Ch.
WiJ7-J?atow, on condition that.
thou, 3161.
Wiftli. See Wijtly.
Witly. See Wittily.
Witte, n. S. senses, reason, under-
standing, 1204, 1483, &c.; witt,
36, 142 ; pi wittes, 468. Ch.
320
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Wittened, pt. pi. imputed it to
be, ascribed it as being, 3462.
[Placed under Wite, to know, by
Sir F. Madden, but may it not be
from A.S. witan, which has the
sense to ascribe (honour) as well as
to impute (blame) ? If so, it may
be connected with A.S. witnian, a
derived form of the same witan.
Cf. " Witton' or retton'. Imputo"
Prompt. Parv.
Wittily, adv. S. wisely, prudently,
sagaciously, 2602 ; wittili, 3364,
4142; witly, 259,1259.
Witty, adj. S. possessed of reason,
sagacious, wise, skilled, 145, 158,
2712, 2832; witthi, 2182;
witti, 2204. Wycl. Gloss.
Wiue, n. S. wife, 242 ; dat wine,
2946.
Wi3h, Wises, Wishes. See Wei}.
Wi^t, Wi3th, prep. See WiJ>.
, n. S. a wight, person, 407,
685, 786; wi$th, 758 ; wlmt,
4037 ; wight, f 590 ; pi. wightes,
f598. Ch.
Wi^t, adj. nimble, active, agile,
brave, 2877, 3349 ; wi^ht, 3293 ;
wyght, f 54 ; comp. wi^tere,
3441 ; wuttere, 3576. Sw. vig.
See Prompt. Parv. and Ch.
Wi^tly, adv. nimbly, actively,
quickly, bravely, 92, 140, 489, 669,
791, &c.; wiitli, 135, 265, 1861,
4188 ; wiatliche, 65, 310, 1195 ;
wiehtly, f 3 ; withlich, f 326 ;
wi)>tli (or wiytli), 1695 ;
wi3ttli, 3612 ; wistthli, 3581 ;
wisttili, 3640. {The spelling wtyli
in the former edition (in 1. 1861) is
a misprint for wistli.]
Wlonke, adj. S. gay, proud, elate,
grand (spoken of mirth), 1634 ; (of
a den), 80 ; (of wits), 468. [In the
two latter places it is written wolnk.
The A.S. is wlonc, wlanc; the Old
Saxon is uulanc, arrogant, proud.]
Wo, n. S. woe, sorrow ; spelt
W03h, 544; woo, 1483. Him was
wo, 1167. Wo is me, 1642.
Wod, adj. S. mad, 36, 554, 715,
1483, 1770, &c. Ch.
Wodly, adv. S. madly, 550 ;
wodli, 3883, 4026. Ch.
Wol, 1 p. s. pr. I will, 486, 533,
607, 906, &c. ; 2 p. s. wolt (wilt),
324, 4263 ; 3 p. s. wol, 326, 482,
5126 ; wol sche = is she willing,
4203; \p.pl.pr.\vQ\, 2260; Z p.
pi. wol, 4004; 1 p. s. pt. wold, 457-
1558 ;pt. s. wold, 529, &c.; pt.pl.
wold, 5185. The form wil also
occurs, as in 1568. [Schal is more
often used than wol. Ne wil is
contracted into nel s and ne wold
into nold.~\
Wold, n. S. power, possession,
4429. A.S. wald. G. gewalt.
Wolnk. See Wlonke.
Won, ?z. S. quantity, f 546. Ch.
Often spelt woon, so that the o is
long; also spelt wan, wane; see
wan in Stratmaun.
Won, n. S. any dwelling-place ;
hence, a town, a country, a place,
f 164, f 237, f 337; wonne,f598,
t 622. Cf. A.S. wun-stow, a
dwelling-place.
Wonde, v. S. to hesitate from fear,
hesitate to say, 4071, f347;
wond, 614 ; imp. s. wonde, 275.
A.S. wandian, to fear. Woncl =
to fear, occurs in Kyng Alisaunder
(Weber's Metr. Rom.), 1. 6525.
Cf. Ch. Leg. Good Women. Dido,
262.
Wonded, pp. wounded, 1377. Ch.
Wonder, adj. S. wonderful,
strange, 1873, 2786. Ch.
Wonder, adv. wonderfully, 1895.
Wonderli, adv. wonderfully, sur-
prisingly, 1214, 1668, 2535;
wonderliche, 345 ; wonderly, 3682.
Wonne. See Winne, and
Won.
Wonye, v. S. to dwell, 3312 ; pr.
s. wone)?, 4471 ; pt. s. woiied, 4,
1492; pp. woned, 8311. A.S.
wunian. Ch.
OLOSSAEIAL INDEX.
321
Woode, adj. S. mad, f 914. See
Wod.
Worche, WorcheJ>. See Werclie.
Worchep, n. S. worship, honour,
551, 4000; worchepe, 497, 515 ;
worchip, 618 ; worchipe, 1324,
3343.
Worchipe]?, pr. s. honoureth, 511.
Worchipfulli, adv. S. honourably,
5157.
"Word, possibly an error for wi3h,
883. See the note.
Wore, written for "Were, 2370,
2485.
Worli,Worliche. See Worfliche.
Wor]>, written for Wrof, adj.
4335. Of. 2002.
Wor)>i, adj. S. worthy, honoured,
dear, 2792, 2795; contracted to
wort (= A.S. iffurS), 2498, 2522,
2990.
Worfliche, adj. S. worthy, dear,
1814 ; worthlich, f 596 ; wortlyeh,
f 1024 ; worfiliche, 1642 ; worjrili,
2786; worliche, 2700; worli, 138.
Worbli, adv. S. worthily, honour-
ably, 673, 3202.
Worj>e, v. S. to be, to become,
327, 3081; 3 p. s. imp. worj?e,
2567 ; pr. s. worf> (with future
signification, will become, will be),
2534, 2667, 2947, 3341 ; (used as
an auxiliary verb, will be), 1673,
4181, 4253 ; pi worfc 2291. Wo
worjj me, wo be to me, 4118. Late
me wor}>, let me be, let me alone,
2355, 3597; lete hym worthe,
1 1186. A.S. weorftan. G. werden.
Moeso-Goth. wairthan.
Woni3t, written for Wro^t, 5182.
Wot, Wost, Wostou. See Wite.
Wox. See Wexe. [In 1. f 337
wox should rather have been
wax."]
Wo3h. See Wo.
Wowes, n. pi. S. walls, f 1122.
A.S.?aA. Wycl. Gloss.
Wrajjed, 1 p. s. pt. made angry,
981.
Wreche, n. S. revenge, vengeance,
3404, 1 937. A.S.;ra*. Ch.
Wreche, v. S. to revenge, avenge,
wreak vengeance, f 806 ; wreke,
1111, 3335; pp. wroke, 5431 j
wroken, f 76. Ch.
Wrong, adj. false, 706.
Wronger, comp. adv. more wrong-
ly, 1176.
Wrobli, adv. S. angrily, wrath-
fully, 3683, 3738 ; wro^liche,
2074.
Wro^t, 1 p. s. pt. I wrought, did,
3694 ; wrout, 725 ; pi. wrou^ten,
3873 ; wrout, 1571 ; pp. wrought,
f 76 ; wrujt, 1503. Of. Werche.
Wus, n. S. ooze, juice, f 712,
f813. A.S.W*.
Wynli, adv. pleasantly, 749.
A.S. wynlic, pleasant. [Explained
as laboriously, carefully, by Sir F.
Madden ; as if from A.S. win,
labour. See wynne in Allit. Poems,
ed. Morris, and wynnelych, pleasant,
in Gawayne and Grene Knht, 1.
980.]
[For past participles beginning with I-
or Y-, see below, and also under I-.]
Y-armed, armed, f 230.
Y-charged, loaded, 182.
Y-clepud, called, 121. Ch.
Y-gladed, gladdened, 850.
Ytryed, selected, choice, 1233.
F. trier, to pick, select.
Yeeme. See 3eme.
Yern, n. iron, f 1119, f H33.
Cf. Irn.
Y-fere, together, 2267. See I-f ere.
Yie, n. S. eye, f 277, f 451 ; pi
yien, 1 182- &* Ei3en.
Y-now, enough, 836, f8, f
See I-now.
21
322
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
Yond, adv. yonder, 263 ;
846. See jond. Ch.
Youlden, pt. pi. yielded, f 304.
See 3eld.
Y-wisse, adv. verily, 846, 937 ;
y-wis, f 465. See I-wisse.
3 in these poems is equivalent to j
at the beginning of a word, as in ^a,
3jate ; to gh in n^t, burw^ ; in ^he
it seems to be a guttural ; cf. hue.
But it is also found (perhaps by
mistake) in, place of \> in the words
yanked, ^out, ^ourh.
3a, adv. S. yea, 268, 326, 923,
1380, 2255, 2585, 3245, 3723,
4728, 4742, 5367, 5432; ;e, 2275,
3493. S*y*.
3af. See 3eue.
3ain-torn, n. S. way of escape,
3552. Cf. A^en-turn.
Jald, 3alde. See 3elden.
3anked, pt. s. thanked, 642.
3are, adj. S. quick, nimble, ready,
895, 1963, 3265, &c. ; sup. Barest,
2729.
Jate, n. S. gate, 3757 ; pi. sates,
3267,3649,f304. Ch.
3e. See 3a, 3is. Also, see 3ou.
3ede, pt. s. went, 1767 ; pt. pi.
1429, 2199, 2238; ^eede, f 304. Ch.
3ef, if, 1677. See 3if.
3eft, n. S. a gift, 3664 ; pi. rifles,
1061, 5357. Ch.
3elden, v. to yield, requite, 3019;
3elde, 321, 601, 3941 ; 3eld, 319,
1547; pr. s. 2eldes, 234; pt. s.
3alde, 3661; 3ald, 1256; pt. pi.
2olde, 2708 ; youlden, f 304 ; imp.
s. aeld, 1252, 3917 ; 3 p. s. imp.
3elde, 4711. Ch.
3eme, v. S. to take care of, to take
charg^ of, rule, provide for, 91,
2734, 3249, f 318, f 365, f 439 ;
yeeme, f 43 ; pr. s. ^emes, 2790 ;
pt. s. Denied, 2806 ; pt. pi. 2emed,
3267,3320. Ch.
3epii, adv. S. quickly, 3346, 3649,
3896, 3941 ; 3 eply, 1252. A.S.
gap, shrewd. P. PI.
3erd, n. S. wand, rod (yard),
"f" 481.
3ere, n. pi. years, 1040; 2er,
5369; ^eres, 1057. P. PI.
3erne, v. S. to yearn for, wish for,
58, 1633, 4730; pt. s. Denied, 782.
3erne, adv. eagerly, quickly, soon,
fast, 1893, 2027, 2197, &c. ; al so
^ern (very soon), 2043. P. PL
3er-while, adv. ere while, a short
time ago, 1246, 3104.
3ete, adv. yet, 2274 ; $it, 186,
577, 609 ; mt, 515, 800, 993 j
^utte, 1955.
3eue, v. S. to give, 1110; siuen,
2963 ; 3if, 5071 ; 3 p. imp. s. 2if,
258, 876, 5536 ; pt. s. $af, 5381;
pp. seuen, 2857; seue, 1471,5355;
3iue, 2254. Ch.
3he, she, 141, 172, 1983. Cf.
Hue.
3if, if, 147, 172, 324, &c.; 3 ef,
1677. But 3if (except), 472.
3is, yes, 697, 1567, 2260, 3184,
3490, 4731, 4746, 5149. See 3a.
\There is certainly a distinction be-
tween 3a (}e) and $is. 3a = I admit
that, granted that, that's true, or else
it simply answers a simple question ;
but 315 is an affirmative of great
force = yes, I swear it, by all
means, and is often followed by i-
wisse, certes, bi marie, bi crist, or
it answers a question involving a
negative. See Marsh, Lectures, 1st
Series, p. 579.]
3ister-neue (=. 3istern-eue), yester-
eve, yesterday evening, 2160.
3it. See 3ete.
3olde. See 3elden.
3omen, n. pi. yeomen, 3649.
3ond, adj. yon, 3384 ; 3one,
4572 ; >e 2ond (the person yonder),
3052. Cf. Yond, adv. Moeso-Goth.
jains. G. jener.
GLOSSARIAL INDEX.
323
3ore, adv. S. long ago, formerly,
1503, 2513, 3298 ; for 3ore, 4174;
full ore, 4046.
3ou, you, 262 ; }ow, 238 ;
301131, 634, 2262, 3121 ; ow, 106.
It is the ace. case, the nom. being
3 e, 251, 269.
3ourh (used for fourgh), through,
3799.
3out (used for font), n. thought,
447.
3ut, 3utte. See 3ete.
NOTE. Dr Stratmann (in his Dictionary of Old English) cites examples
from the poem of " William of Palerne " thus : " hel, a hill. Will. Gloss.
229." The numbers merely refer to the page of the glossary in which the
word is found, not to the pages or lines of the poem. The references in the
glossary to the edition by Sir F. Madden are to the pages of the book, and
the following list is given, in order to shew with what line each page of his
book begins. Most of his pages contain 28 lines, but page 1 contains only 16 ;
page 16 has 24 lines ; p. 131 has 27 lines; p. 170 has 26 lines; p. 177 has
27 lines ; p. 196 has 27 lines ; and p. 199 has 17 lines, being the last page
of the text.
PAGE
1
2
3
4
LINE
1
17
45
73
PAGK
5
6
7
LINE
101
129
157
185
PAGE
9
10
11
12
LINE
213
241
269
297
PAGE
13
14
15
16
17
LINE
325
353
381
409
433
To find with what line any one of the succeeding pages begins, we must
multiply the number of the page by 28, subtracting 43 for pp. 18 131 ; sub-
tracting 44 for pp. 132170 ; subtracting 46 for pp. 171177 ; and sub-
tracting 47 for pp. 178196. Thus p. 196 begins with line 196 X 28 47 =
5441. Page 197 begins with 1. 5468 ; p. 198 with 1. 5496 ; and p. 199 with L
5524.
21
INDEX OF NAMES TO "WILLIAM OF PALERNE."
[In this Index, the references under words in large capitals are to the pages of
the book ; otherwise, the references are to the lines.]
Abelot, 363.
Acelone, 1. 42 on p. 2 ; Achil-
lones, 4775.
Akarin, 364.
ALISAUNDRINB, daughter of the
duke of Lombardy, p. 28 ; advises
and assists Melior, pp. 28, 29 ;
causes William to dream, p. 30;
brings Melior to find William, pp.
34 41 ; aids the lovers to escape,
pp. 5962 ; excuses them to the
emperor, p. 69 ; meets Melior again,
p. 156 ; is betrothed to Braundnis,
p. 159 ; is married, p. 160.
Almauns, Germans of Saxony,
1165.
ALPHOUNS (THE WERWOLF), steals
William away, p. 3 ; leaves William
in the den, p. 7 ; sees William
adopted by the cowherd's wife, p.
9 ; his father was king of Spain, p.
10; he is made a WERWOLF by
his stepmother, p. 10 ; finds that
William and Melior are dressed up
in bear-skins, and guards them, and
provides them with food, pp. 65
67 ; saves them from the hounds,
p. 75 ; brings them to Benevento,
p. 75 ; saves their lives by stealing
the provost's son, pp. 80 83 ; kills
a hart and a hind for them, p. 86 ;
brings them to Reggio, p. 90;
helps them over the Straits, pp. 91
94 ; is seen by the queen of
Palermo, p. 113 ; salutes the king
of Spain, p. 129 ; threatens his
stepmother, pp. 139, 140 ; is dis-
enchanted, p. 142 ; is embraced by
William, p. 144 ; he falls in love
with Florence, p. 144; tells
William's history, pp. 147150;
is betrothed to Florence, p. 151 ;
is married, p. 160 ; is made king of
Spain, p. 167 ; meets William for
the last time, p. 168; swears
friendship to William once more,
p. 172.
Apulia. See Poyle.
Bonuent, Benevento, 2221;
Boneuent, 4692.
BRAUNDE, BRAUNDEN, or BRAUN-
DINE, is queen of Spain, and
princess of Portugal, p. 10 ; en-
chants Alphouns, p. 10 ; receives
an embassy from her lord, pp. 135,
136; goes to Palermo, p. 137; -is
attacked by the werwolf, p. 139 ;
disenchants him, p. 141 ; returns
to Spain, p. 164.
INDEX OF NAMES.
325
BRAUNDINIS, BRAUNDNIS, or
BEAUNDYNS, prince of Spain, asks
Florence in marriage, p. 88 ; is
taken prisoner by William, p. 117 ;
is betrothed to Alisaundrine, p.
159 ; is married, p. 160; comes to
Palermo, p. 168 ; returns home,
p. 171. [The name occurs in 11.
4914, 5299, 5411.]
Calabre, Calabria, 2628, 5512.
Cisile, Sicily, 2603, 2628.
Ebrouns. See Embrons.
Edward es, (King) Edward's, 166,
5531. [Sir Humfrey de Bohun's
mother was a daughter of King
Edward I.]
EMBRONS, or EBROUNS, king of
Palermo, p. 2; loses his son
William, p. 3 ; pursues the wer-
wolf without success, pp. 4 6 ;
dies, p. 88 ; the story of his horse
Saundbruel, pp. 106, 107 ; his re-
semblance to his son William, p.
119.
Englyscb, English, 168.
Far, a name for the Straits of
Messina. See page 4, and the note.
FELICE, queen of Palermo, and
daughter of the emperor of Greece,
p. 2 ; her grief at losing her son
William, p. 5 ; is besieged in Palermo
by the king of Spain, p. 94 ; her
dream, p. 95; the dream expounded,
pp. 96, 97 ; she encourages her
knights, p. 99 ; she puts on a hind's
skin, p. 100 ; she overhears about
Melior's dream, p. 102 ; addresses
William, p. 103 ; takes the hides
off William and Melior, p. 105 ;
sees the werwolf, p. 113 ; perceives
a likeness between William and
King Ebrouns, p. 119; discovers
that William is her son, p. 147 ;
her dream comes true, p. 174.
FLORENCE, daughter to the queen
of Palermo, and sister to William, is
sought in marriage by Braundyns,
p. 94 ; is admitted to see the wer-
wolf after his disenchantment, p.
143; marries Alphouns, p. 160.
[The name occurs in 1. 4490.]
Frensche, 167, 5522, 5533.
Gergeis, n. pi. Greeks, 2200.
Possibly miswritten for Gregeis. Cf.
Gryffouns.
Gloriande, 1. 41 on p. 2 ; Glori-
auns, 4775.
Glouseter, 166.
Grece, a groin of, 1767.
GREECE, EMPEROR OP, is father to
Queen Felice, p. 2 ; sends an em-
bassy to Rome, p. 53; comes to
Rome, p. 58 ; raises a hue and cry
after William and Melior, p. 73 ;
sends an embassy to Palermo, p.
Greece, prince of. See Partene-
don.
Grewes, n. pi Greeks, 2080. See
Gryffouns.
Gryffouns, n. pi Greeks, 1961.
Roquefort gives the forms Greu,
Greeux, Gregeois, Grifons, &c., as
equivalent to the Lat. Greecus.
Hence the forms Gregeis (mis-
written Gergeis}, Grewes] and Gryf-
founs in the present poem.
Hereford, 5530 ; Herford, 165.
Huet, 362.
Hugones, Hugo's, 363.
Hugonet, 362.
Humfrayde Bowne, 165; Hum-
fray de Boune, 5530. [Sir Walter
Scott rimes de Boune with soon ;
Lord of tfap Isles, Bk VI. c. xiv.]
Kostant-noble, Constantinople,
1425.
Krist, Christ, 1315.
Lumbardie, 585, 1315.
326
INDEX OF NAMES.
Marie, 838, 2229, 2698, &c.
Martynet, 363.
Meliadus, 3846, 3858, 3863,
3869.
MELIOR, or MELIORS, daughter of
the emperor of Rome, p. 19 ; falls
in love with William, p. 23 ; her
soliloquy, pp. 23 26; is comforted
by Alisaundrine, p. 28 ; goes to
the garden, p. 34 ; and finds
William asleep there, p. 35 ; is
betrothed to William, p. 40; is
wooed by the prince of Greece, p.
53 ; escapes with William, dis-
guised as a bear, pp. 61 67 ;
arrives at Benevento, p. 75 ; is
saved by the werwolf, pp. 76 81 ;
is disguised as a hind, p. 86 ; comes
to Reggio, p. 90 ; is nearly killed
by a barge-boy, p. 92 ; comes to
Palermo, p. 93 ; her dream, p. 102 ;
is received by the queen of Palermo,
p. 105 ; her meeting with her
Father, p. 156 ; is married to
William, p. 160 ; is crowned em-
press of Rome, p. 169 ; her children,
p. 174. &* William.
Midesomer, Midsummer, 1464.
Moyses, Moses, the name of a
priest, 2918, 3025.
Nauerne, Navarre, 4076.
Palerne, Palermo, 1. 61 on p. 3 ;
2838, 4223, 4287 ; spelt Pallerne,
2628.
PALERNE, QUEEN OF. See Felice.
PARTENDO, or PARTENEDON, son
of the emperor of Greece, and
brother of Queen Felice, wooes
Melior, p. 53 ; waits at church for
his bride, who does not come, p.
68; arrives at Palermo, p. 157;
returns to Greece, 161. [The
name occurs in lines 4930, 4939,
5039, 5078, 5088.]
Payenes, Pagan's, 364.
Petyr, cherche of seynt, 1956.
Pope, 1957.
Portingale, Portugal, 116.
Poyle, Apulia, 156, 2628, 5512.
Eise, .Reggio, 2717. "It is so
termed by the French and Italian
Romancers of the middle ages. See
Panizzi's Life of Bojardo, vol. ii. p.
Ixxxi. n. The same change seems
to have taken place in regard to
Riez in Provence, as remarked by
Mr Nicol, to whom I am indebted
for a reference to Martiniere's-
Dictionary, sub v. Riez" M.
Roachas, 1437.
Romaynes, Romans, 5167.
ROME, EMPEROR OF, finds William
in a forest, p. 13 ; talks to the
cowherd, p. 14 ; adopts William,
pp. 15 19 ; defeats the duke of
Saxony, pp. 42 49 ; consents that
his daughter Melior shall marry
Partenedon, p. 54; loses Melior,
p. 68 ; his wrath, pp. 6971 ;;
finds his daughter at Palermo, p.
155; his last advice to Melior, p.
163 ; his death, p. 166.
Saundbruel (a horse), 3585.
Saxoyne, duke of, 1068, 1108,.
1318.
SPAYNE, KING OF, father of 'Al-
phouns the werwolf, p. 9 ; marries
JBraunde, p. 10 ; besieges Palermo,
p. 88 ; seeks to revenge his son
Braundinis, p. 121 ; is taken,
prisoner, p. 127 ; is saluted by the
werwolf, p. 129 ; tells William his
story, pp. 131, 132 ; escorts Melior
to church, p. 160 ; returns to Spain
p. 165 ; his death, p. 167.
Spain, prince of. See Braundinis.
Spaynols, Spaniards, 3631, 3770,
5168 ; Spaynoles, 3399 ; Spay-
nolus, 3529 ; Spaynolnes, 3357.
WILLIAM (OF PALERNE), son of
King Ebrouns and Queen Felice, p.
2 ; stolen by the werwolf, pp. 3
6; found and adopted by a cow-
herd, pp. 7 9 j found and adopted
by the emperor of Rome, pp. 13
23 ; is beloved by Melior, p. 23 ;.
INDEX OF NAMES.
327
dreams of Melior, p. 30 ; betrothed
to Melior, p. 40 ; is knighted, p.
43 ; defeats the duke of Saxony,
pp. 45 49 ; his sickness, p. 55 ;
is healed, p. 57 ; escapes with
Melior, disguised as a bear, pp.
5965 } is saved by the werwolf,
p. 75 ; hides with Melior in a
quarry, p. 76 ; bids Melior save
herself, p. 79 ; takes off the bear-
skin, p. 81 ; hides with Melior in a
forest, p. 82 ; is nearly discovered
by some colliers, p. 84 ; disguises
himself as a hart, and Melior as a
hind, p, 86 ; comes to Reggio, p.
90 ; embarks secretly in a ship with
Melior, p. 91 ; carries her to land,
p. 92 ; is found by the queen of
Palermo, p. 103 : undertakes to
assist her, p. 104 ; has a werwolf
painted on his shield, p. 105 ;
mounts King Ebrouns' horse, p.
107; attacks the Spaniards, pp.
110-112, 117-126; takes
prisoner Prince Braundinis, p. 118 ;
and the king of Spain, p. 127;
sends for Queen Braunden to dis-
enchant the werwolf, p. 134; em-
braces Alphouns, p. 144 ; his story
and parentage, pp. 147 150; is
king of Apulia, p. 154 ; marries
Melior, p. 160 ; is emperor of
Rome, p. 167 ; creates the cowherd
an earl, p. 170 ; his wise rule, p.
173 ; his children, p. 174.
William (the author's name),
5521.
INDEX OF NAMES TO " ALISAUNDER."
454.
Alisaunder, son of Amyntas, 22,
27, 37.
Alisaunder, son of Philip, 1034,
1049, 1095, 1148, &c.
Amon, 661, 727, 805,
Amyntas, 13.
Arabes, 498.
Arisba. See Erubel.
Aristote (Aristotle). See page 211.
Arofagi, a corruption of Agrio-
phagi, i. e. eaters of wild animals,
500.
Artasarses, 491.
Assyriens (a mistake /orlllyriens),
109, 130.
Assyrie (a mistake for Illyrie),
159.
Attenes, Athens, 157 ; Attens,
898 ; Attanus, 90.
Atteniens, Athenians, 415 ;
Attenieins, 902, 938.
Augmi or Augni, 498.
Barbre, Barbary (a mistake for
Barbarians, Lat. Barbari), 533,
536.
Bosorij, 499.
Byzaunce, Byzantium, 1208 ;
Byzance, 1222.
Cappadoce, Cappadocia (a mis-
take for Chalcidice), 944, 1111.
Comothonham (a corrupt name
for Methone). See Methone.
Constanfcine, 1225.
Constantinoble, 1223 ; Constan-
tinople, 1229.
Egipt, 486, 534, &c.
Elaine, Helen (mother of Con-
stantine), 1226.
Enomanus, 429.
Epaminondas, 52, 75.
328
INDEX OF NAMES.
Erubel, 172 ; Eruba, 240.
Ethiope, ^Ethiopia, 552.
Eurydice, 34.
Greece, 258, &c.
Jupiter (the planet), 1077.
Komothonliain (a corrupt spelling
<?/ Methone). See Methone.
Lacedemonie, 335, 336, 417,
444 ; Lacedemoine, 449, 879.
Lacedemonieins, 351.
Larissea, 119; Larisse, 131, 161.
Latine, 458.
Macedoine, 14. 59, &c.
Medie, 495.
Mercurie (the planet), 1077.
Mesopotamie, 497.
Methone, 255, 310 ; corruptly
spelt Comothonham, 255 ; and
Komothonham, 310.
Molosor (also Malasor), a corrup-
tion o/Molossis, 173, 204.
Nectanabus, 459, 505, &c.
Olympias, 177, 576, &c.
Pausanias, 1218, 1246.
Perce, Persia, 492, 494 ; Perss,
462, 471.
Perthe, Parthia, 494.
Philip, passim.
Philomelo, 364, 421.
Phocus, Phocis, 365, 413, 428,
446, 878 ; Phocos, 336.
Phosus, j?Z. Phocians, 391.
Eoome, 103, 1224.
Seraphin, Serapis, 557, 572.
Sparte, 1246.
Syria, 496.
Tebeniens, Thebans, 877 ; Tebe-
nieins, 351, 380.
Tebes, Thebes, 51, 71; Tebs,
94.
Tessalonie, Thessalonica, 913.
RICHARD CLAV & SONS, LIMITED, LONDON & BUNGAY.
f=RATT
Ti
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